Operation Christmas Child

One of the things that we have had to give up with our RVing life has been what we used to do with Operation Christmas Child...
http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2014/11/operation-christmas-child-processing.html
http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2014/12/shoebox-collection-center.html
http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2015/11/shoebox-packing-day.html
http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2015/12/operation-christmas-child-processing.html

Janell and I and a number of friends used to gather items all during the year and pack shoeboxes -- we would keep spreadsheets of the items we needed and folks would watch for specials (e.g. small stuffed toys that say "I Love You" are often on half price right after Valentine's Day) and pick up items all year long. On the packing day, we would have folks working on different tasks -- some things required "packaging" into the appropriate number of groups -- e.g. we would have large bags of candy, but would put them into 50 (or 75 or 100 - however many boxes we were doing) ziplock bags ready to slip into a shoebox. Others would distribute items, making sure each shoebox got a specific item (toothbrush, toothpaste, stuffed toy, etc.). Still others would work at the end getting all the items to fit into the completed shoeboxes, and others would put the labels and rubber bands on...
Note: this year the Operation Christmas Child group has asked that neither candy nor toothpaste be included in the boxes.

Anyway... as it turns out, last night was the "packing party" for the home group of friends of ours, Robert and Barbara, here in Grants Pass, and they invited us to come for pot luck and fellowship.

It was great to join with brothers and sisters here in Grants Pass!!!

So, we haven't had to totally give up on our involvement with packing shoeboxes!!! Many thanks to Robert and Barbara for including us in their "family"!