Our family’s been packing shoeboxes for well over 13 years now and I considered myself a pretty seasoned shoebox packer.
However, my trip to help distribute shoeboxes in Grenada in October has forever changed the way I’ll pack a shoebox.
Between our distributions, I had the chance to pepper employees with Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child (OCC) with packing questions.
I was also able to ask a National OCC Volunteer and former shoebox recipient, Devon (you can read his story here), his advice for packing a shoebox.
Devon’s favorite toy from the shoebox he received was a Slinky. He didn’t know until about a year ago what it was called, but he played with it constantly!
As we were talking Devon asked me if I had seen the little girl who had immediately kissed the dog that was in her box. I had missed it! He shared with me how many of the children don’t truly understand what it means to love and be loved. Stuffed animals provide a way for them to experience love and give love.
Even the older boys were happy to receive a stuffed animal. I asked one of the older boys what his favorite item was and to my surprise, he held up a blue striped beanie baby teddy bear.
Devon would tell you to be sure to include a Slinky, stuffed animal, and a ball. 🙂
I felt bad when so many of the children received gloves and hats. Clearly they loved them, as they’d stop mid-box to put them on. But I feared they’d never be used. Once we were back on the bus I asked Devon if they’d really use the hats and gloves. He told me that their cooler temperatures feel cold to them and that they would indeed wear jackets, hats, and gloves. Even at 12 degrees above the equator these colorful hats and gloves would get some use! Yeah!
From my conversations with the OCC staff, OCC national volunteers, and observing the children opening their shoeboxes I have put together 10 tips to help you pack a better shoebox.
10 Tips for Packing a Better Shoebox:
1. Pack a standard-size shoebox.
As tempting as it may be to bless the socks off of one child, bigger shoeboxes leave other children feeling left out. It would be like me keeping the giant, king-sized Hershey bar and me giving you a snack-size Hershey bar. It’s still chocolate and you’re happy, but you wish you had mine. Embrace the opportunity to bless two children, instead of just the one!
2. Include hygiene and school supplies.
I’ll never forget the boy I saw that was excited about a bar of soap! Yes, soap! In addition to soap consider packing: a washcloth, toothbrush, dental floss, comb, pencils, pencil sharpeners, solar calculators, erasers, rulers, pens, paper, and scissors.
3. These items are great for boys and girls of all ages.
Every child, boy or girl, no matter their age loved: flashlights, Slinkys, hats and gloves, stuffed animals, balls, and musical instruments (like a recorder).
4. Every box needs an item that will grab their attention.
Often referred to as “wow” items, consider packing a deflated soccer ball, a baseball glove, doll, big toy car, a Barbie doll, or stuffed animal. (Yes, that’s a chicken below! He loved it!!)
5. Girls are like girls everywhere.
They loved headbands with big decorations and big rings. Hair accessories and jewelry were a bit hit with girls of all ages.
6. Boys like cars.
All ages. Even the oldest boys were excited to get a Matchbox car. Radio controlled cars with extra batteries would be a great “wow” item to include.
7. Toys that have stood the test of time are great choices.
Jump ropes, Rubik cubes (they knew what these were), yo-yo’s (yes, they knew how to use them), balls, paddles with the ball tied to them, playing cards, and Slinkys. They weren’t sure what to do with the Silly Putty and it was sort of hard to explain…
8. Pack something fun along with those practical items.
While school supplies are often much needed, a box with little else is disappointing to a child when everyone around them seems to have a toy in their box. Include a stuffed animal, a small bouncy ball, or a jump rope. Give them something they can pull out of their box and immediately play with.
9. Include a note or photo with your information inside the box.
Devon told me children often hang them on their walls. Don’t miss the opportunity to tell a child they are loved and prayed for!
10. Let the Holy Spirit lead your packing and purchasing.
If you feel God leading you to pack two packs of underwear do it! Devon told me about a mother who cried during a distribution because her daughter had received underwear in her box – she had none! You never know what or how the items you pack can fill an unknown need.
Please note: Candy and toothpaste are no longer allowed in shoeboxes and will be removed at the processing centers. War toys, knives, glass items, seeds, and liquids are also all on the list of items that cannot be sent.
May God bless your shoebox packing and use the items you’ve chosen to reveal His love to a child this year!
You may also want to read:
My Message in a Box
Serving in the OCC Processing Center – Part 1
Serving in the OCC Processing Center – Part 2
What It’s Like to Give a Child a Shoebox
How to Host an Operation Christmas Child Packing Party
How Your Women’s Ministry Can Get Involved with Operation Christmas Child
Please offer advice on sealing the boxes. My boxes are filled but I’ve not sealed them. Do I do it or does the drop off center seal them?
Please do not seal them – the best thing to do is to put rubber bands around them. Every box is inspected at a Processing Center before being shipped out. Thank you for packing shoeboxes!
This is my first year and I would like to know the dimensions of the box. This would help me with how much will fit in a box. Thank you
Hi Ruth, if you’re using the foldable cardboard boxes they are 12 x 7 x 4 3/8 inches. Thank you for packing!
some years ago I found a wonderful picture of a mountain goat. Majestic. we pasted on the top of a box that did not need any other decoration. While at the processing center, some boxes came in covered in Christmas cards. So now almost all our boxes have Christmas cards or neat animal pictures on the box tops. WE also include calendar photos of animals or wonderful nature scenes. The fit nicely inside on the bottom of the box or inside the lid. recently I read a story form a very poor part of Africa. Those calendar pictures might be one of the few beautiful things they have to put up on their walls. From Eastern Europe, I have seen photos of shoe boxes carefully being used to continue to hold precious things. I imagine that could be the case world wide. Let the shoebox itself be a gift!
And yes ALWAYS include a stuffed animal. even if there is only room for a 3 inch teddy, or puppy, or kitten, etc. They will be loved by any child, anywhere.
Thank you for sharing! Your photos and cards I’m sure have blessed many children. <3 Thank you for helping to spread God's love through packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
I live in Zimbabwe and we also fill shoe boxes for under privileged children. I noted some of the comments about hats and gloves,even though it gets very hot here we do have a cold dry winter and our children love knitted caps and gloves. They also love wearing scarves.
Margaret, I am so glad the children receiving boxes in Zimbabwe are blessed by gloves and hats too! <3
We used to send notes and our return address until one year we started getting letters from kids asking for things, telling us when their birthday was and what they would like for us to send them as a gift. They shared about how difficult their life was and it made it difficult to say no to their request. We sent many items but it didn’t feel right so we stopped. When we went on a mission trip to Africa, we were warned not to give our address out because Africans may show up on your doorstep. This is totally acceptable in their culture and they would expect you to provide a place for them to stay. I know many people that have received great thank you letters though. It is something that I debate each year.
Cathy, thank you for the warning. Using your church email address or a PO Box could be a safer alternative.
2018 Changes: do not pack toothpaste or candy of any kind. Children have been eating the toothpaste. Either of these items cause problems with Customs and a whole box or whole carton, even, may be set aside.
Donna, thank you for the reminder! I failed to update this post with those changes last year. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. 🙂
Thanks for emphasizing “best” shoeboxes!
My Dad commented years ago when someone made the appeal about giving to the needy. They suggested bringing items you were going to throw out anyway. My Dad said that was not really “giving.” It was just throwing away in another direction.
You are so welcome! Your dad was right! That’s a great way to put it – throwing away in another direction.
Do you have suggestions about clothing? There is no way to put all the suggestions in one box. I have crammed boxes absolutely to bursting, had to wrap the bottom with duct tape to hold it tight. I am guilty of using bigger boxes. I will take your comments to heart next year. I was trying to bless but can see how it could cause hurt feelings. This year I sewed washable sanitary napkins and sent what would fit in the boxes with everything else. They were easy and I used PUL fabric to make the bottom waterproof. I put 3 pair panties and 3 pads with extra liners. It is a joy to pray for the children while sewing.
Hey Pam, what a blessing those sanitary napkins will be! And I LOVE that you pray for the children as you sew!! <3
I know, it's so hard to decide what to leave out sometimes. I just pray God will direct each box to the child that needs it most. I have my own list of must-haves for each box and then fill in with other items. I don't put clothes in every box, but I do put some school supplies and a toothbrush/bar of soap in every box.
For clothing I find rolling and/or folding them and securing them with rubber bands helps to keep them as compact as possible. You can even roll up a t-shirt and place it inside of a cup or large-mouth water bottle.
May God continue to use you to bless many children through Operation Christmas Child!
Really great article. We have packed boxes now for the last 2 years through my son’s school extra credit project, and I will continue to do so even after my kids have moved on. It is a very rewarding experience, and one I enjoy immensely. What would make it even more rewarding would be to hear back from the child/family. I included a pre-addressed envelope in the hopes of a little note back just so my son could see how much impact this box had on a child. Unfortunately, we have yet to receive anything back. Is it realistic to hope for a little note back in the future?
Angela, I’ll be honest I don’t know how realistic it is to expect a note back. I know a lot of folks do get notes back. We have only recently (since my trip really) included our address (mail and an email address) inside every box that we send. Last year we packed about 25 boxes. I haven’t gotten a single letter yet. Enclosing a pre-addressed envelope is a GREAT idea! We do pay for our shipping online so we can track the boxes and know what countries they’ve been sent to. That has been fun for our family over the years – especially when they were younger. I may have become a little bit obsessed at looking at the videos in hopes that I might spy one of our boxes! 😉 Praying you all will get a note back!
Postage is expensive for the families even for a letter and getting the letter to a post office may not be feasible for them. Adding postage to a pre-addressed envelope will not help if you are using US postage. The stamps must be from the country the letter is mailed from. Chances are any note would not be in a language you could read so it would need to be translated. Even if there was someone available who could translate letters/notes, that person likely is more than busy already and we wouldn’t want to burden them more. It might be best just to know you made a child happy and that you will learn all about it one day in heaven.
To exchange letters and pictures with a child in need, sponsoring a child through a child sponsor organization is a good idea. You can choose the country, age, and sex of the child. These organizations are set up to handle the back and forth of letters, including the translations and they take annual photos of the children for the sponsors. They always act as the “in-between” for the sponsored child and the sponsor. They never give your contact info to the child’s family or give the family’s info to the sponsor. They know that is the saver thing to do. You may even want to choose an organization that allows you visit the child and his/her family if you think you might want to take that type of vacation. Some years ago we visited the family of the child we were sponsoring in Mexico. It was very rewarding and eye-opening.
Joan, good points. I now include an email address instead of a physical mailing address. I’ve received only a couple of messages and photos. 🙂 We also sponsor a child through Compassion.
I use to worry about I should pack in my shoes boxes, hats and mitten or flip flops. But now I feel that what I packed in my shoeboxes the right child will receive them. My God got this. Every year I tried to find something new to packed. I like getting new ideas from people.
Barb you are right! God’s got this! He’ll send those boxes exactly where they need to be. 🙂 Thank you for sending boxes and blessing so many children!
this is so informative. I was just put in charge of our church collection and am looking for things for girls and boys that people don’t normally think of. My email is nnoel59@yahoo.com or facebook as Nancy noel Eichhorn if anyone wants to talk to me and help me get this going.
Nancy – join the Shoebox Shoppers group on Facebook. I’m a member. I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful with both planning for our church packing party and packing our family’s boxes. 🙂 Be sure to see my post on How to Host a Packing Party – https://womensministrytoolbox.com/host-operation-christmas-child-packing-party/ . Happy packing!
We had a shoebox recipient from Romania speak at our church several years ago and she said that sometimes they run out of shoeboxes for the older children, so that is all I do now, even though it is easier and cheaper shop for the younger ones. This year our ladies group made hygiene kits with washable sanitary napkins for the older girls. The idea and instructions came from an organization called “Days for girls” online. It was quite a project but very rewarding knowing that these girls won’t be missing 5 days of school each month because of their menstrual cycle.
Barbara, thank you for your comments! I know they were short on boxes for 10-14 year old boys this past year again. So please keep packing for the older kids!
I love that your ladies group made sanitary napkins – some of the Youth girls in our group that worked at the processing center this year saw some in boxes. They told me they’d never thought about that before and how awful it would be to have nothing for that time of the month. There’s no doubt your efforts will be appreciated!
So happy to read this. I am packing for boys 10-14 and really fretting about what to put in and feel so much better. Now I know stuffed animals are not too babyish, neither are the toy cars and yes they know what a Rubik’s cube is. And my mother can rub it in that the old school recorders are still a hit. Thanks!
Lisa – you are so welcome! So glad I could share first-hand what items were big hits. I scored a bunch of recorders after Easter at Wal-mart half off and was super excited to put those in most of our boxes. 🙂
Please send the highest quality items you can.Last year I sent some toothbrushes I had picked up at a dollar store.Afterwards I ended up using one that I had left over. The quality was poor and I felt so bad I had included them in several boxes.This year I am clipping coupons so that I can send better quality items.
Great tip Jolene! It can be tempting to stock up on items that are priced low, but if they don’t last we’ve done those children a huge disservice. I’m trying to pack the BEST boxes we can this year – it may not be the MOST we’ve ever sent, but they are going to be GREAT boxes!
Cindy, Your suggestions are awesome. Thank you for sharing how we can serve with excellence. To show the children the love and how each box was prepared with thought. I miss you but I know you are spreading your ministry to your new home.
Love a sweet woman Denise
Denise, you are such a dear! I miss you too, friend! 🙂 I love that God can use us as part of a child’s salvation story thru the simple gift of a shoebox.
Cyndee, I somewhat consider myself an experienced shoe boxer and also have worked numerous times in the distribution center, but never blessed to go on the mission field with SP. You have written one of the BEST posts regarding filling a shoebox (and I have read and looked a lot)! Also all the great and very good points of the process from the comments. Most importantly I agree with the post about raiding the closets and drawers. I can only candidly say it is just junk and it breaks my heart. Please buy quality items! They are as you pointed out very important to the kids who may have them well into the future. I see many posts with great ideas but some have items that just don’t have quality. I would hope your page could be read by everyone, but I know it will help many. Thanks soooo much!
Sharon, thank you for your comments! You are so sweet! 🙂 I hope many will take my tips to heart.
God really opened my eyes during my trip and forever changed the way we’re packing boxes. This year the focus in on packing the BEST boxes we can. I don’t even care how many boxes we finish, but that the ones we do finish we finish well!
@Stase: It sounds like someone raided their office’s supply closet. How very sad indeed.
I’ve read several articles written by people at inspection/distribution centers and it sounds as though some people simply empty their junk drawers into a box. Even if your church/office/whatever is asking people to do boxes, please don’t make that commitment unless you’re going to take the responsibility seriously. For so many children, this will be the only gift they receive. For others, it will be their first introduction to Christianity. If you’re not called to create a box that shows Christ’s love for that child, then serve in another way. Personally, I like to imagine the child opening his box and reacting to the items I am considering packing and I pray that I am led in the right direction.
Great article! God Bless
Erica, thank you for the great advice and insight! I think folks get stuck on packing as many boxes as possible, not realizing that the quality is far more important than the quantity. Those boxes truly are the ONE gift a child may receive in their lifetime.
This is so true. Good advice. I was there once when a 5yr old boy opened his box and it was filled with stationery. Like someone just filled it with stationery from their office- yellow pad, sticky notes, white pad, pens, pencils, letter pad, and two socks. As you know, the 5yr old boy who cant even read, much less write letters, was very disappointed. So people do need to know what to pack. Thanks
Stase, thank you for sharing your experience. Bless his little heart… Trusting God had a purpose in that box going to that particular boy… Just one little “wow” item (like a stuffed animal or toy car) would have made his day, I’m sure!
so God didn’t direct that box
Sue, I’m not sure I follow… God absolutely directed each box. If you’re referring to the box with gloves and a hat, as I explained they will use them during the cooler months and the boy picture clearly enjoyed them even in the heat!