UTM students joined forces in November to give a gift to children on the other side of the world.
For the fourth year in a row, the UTM Collegiate 4-H Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Committee hosted the annual packing party. Months of preparation and volunteer work went into making the party, held this year on Nov. 25, a success. Students in many different organizations and parts of campus donated gifts, toiletries and essentials throughout the fall semester.
UTM students began taking part in the project in 2015 when Collegiate 4-H founder Cassie Cain started the project. Upon her graduation, Chad Lewis took over the small project and the event grew.
“Operation Christmas Child was a chance for me to serve young children across the world and UTM at the same time,” said Lewis, a recent graduate of UTM. “Children from different areas of the world benefit from OCC by having a Christmas present to open around the holiday season. Without OCC, many of these children would go without necessary items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and washcloths.”
The program is dear to Lewis and he shared how it began on campus.
“Cassie started the whole program with 25 boxes the first year. I knew that was great, but that it could really be bigger,” Lewis said. “My goal was to get the whole campus involved through donating, packing and helping. In 2018, more than 20 student organizations donated or attending the party to pack 220 boxes.”
Lewis coached Zach Mills, the current OCC chairman, to take over the project. Mills has continued to see the packing party thrive.
“When it comes down to it, Operation Christmas Child is all about heart,” Mills said. “It’s a time for the people of UT Martin to come together and share the love of giving to those who have much less than ourselves.”
Mills hosted the fourth annual packing party, where 56 volunteers packed 150 boxes for needy children.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Mills said. “The process included various committee meetings, collecting funds and items from businesses and professors. It takes many, many hands to make little work and with the help of great volunteers, we made it all happen.”
“The global Christmas project Operation Christmas Child uses gift-filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world,” reads the OCC website. “Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 160 countries and territories.”
The process for building a shoebox is simple. Samaritan’s Purse offers cardboard, build yourself boxes or plastic totes for packing. The packer of the box chooses the gender and age they wish to give to. The ages break down 2 – 4 years old, 5 – 9 years old and 10 – 14 years old. From there, the box includes what the child would want or need depending on their age. Packers can choose from pens, pencils, crayons, paper, plastic water bottles, a soccer ball and pump, hair accessories, bar soap, tooth brushes and other toiletry items. No items that are edible, liquid or war related are allowed.
Once the box is complete, packers write a hand-written note of encouragement to their child. The boxes are then sent for shipping. Each box costs $9 to ship.
“I believe OCC improved the UT Martin community by uniting us together for a common cause,” Lewis said. “Through OCC, I got to meet students from different clubs and different walks of life. We came together to serve those in need, and we had an amazing time doing it. I loved facilitating Operation Christmas Child at UT Martin, and it makes me feel reassured that I left a lasting impact on this campus that is dedicated to service.”
If you are interested in being part of Operation Christmas Child, you can contact Collegiate 4-H Advisor Dr. Joey Mehlhorn or OCC Chairman Zach Mills for more information about the UTM donation program, volunteer at the annual packing party which will happen each fall or donate to help ship or pack a box yourself. Visit www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/ for more information on how to pack a box yourself or donate toward box shipping.
