Since 2018, Stevens Christian Fellowship (SCF) has been supporting Operation Christmas Child, a project run by Samaritan’s Purse. The purpose of Operation Christmas Child is to provide Christmas gifts to children in need by packing a shoebox with toys and essentials. The sponsor of this program, Samaritan’s Purse, is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to caring for the spiritual and physical needs of suffering people throughout the world.
On November 20, Stevens Christian Fellowship hosted a virtual packing party for Operation Christmas Child, continuing their support for this charitable initiative despite the obstacles posed by the pandemic.
In previous years, SCF would collect donations on campus and then host a packing party to pack the gifts into shoeboxes. Alex Rubino, the Social Media Coordinator for SCF, explained the process, stating “We’d collect donations of toys, toiletries, and school supplies throughout November, gather as many shoeboxes as we could, and set up a room where people could grab a box and fill it with whatever items they wanted and top it off with a personal card to the child receiving their box. We’d also have a ton of fellowship, food, and music.”
This year, SCF raised $1,250 and spent the night of November 20, from 7 p.m. to midnight, using the donated money to build virtual shoeboxes using the Build a Shoebox Online platform offered by Samaritan’s Purse. With the online platform, the members of the packing party were able to look through an assortment of gifts shown on the website, while the physical shoeboxes would be packed and sent to children by Samaritan’s Purse.
Rubino and Brandon Costa, SCF’s Event Coordinator, were the organizers of the event. During the party, they shared their computer screens so that everyone in attendance could see the gift options available. The members of the party were all able to suggest a particular gift as everyone helped to build the boxes.
When asked about how the event was coordinated, Rubino responded, “Brandon Costa and I did our best to think of how we could still maximize the impact we had while still having the fun, enjoyable packing party that brings people from all across Stevens together.” With the guidance of the SCF Executive Board, they decided on collecting donations ahead of time and encouraging people to come to the virtual party. Rubino additionally noted, “A lot of the advertising came from word of mouth, our social media, and an advertisement from The Stute about our party, and altogether helped us do a lot of good for many children this Christmas.”
Student members of SCF, two professors, an alumnus, and some new members to SCF showed up to make the event a success, with a crowd of 20 to 30 total people over the course of the night. With a donation of $25 per box, they built 50 digital boxes, while SCF’s President, Kaitlyn Sharo, and her family built an additional 31 physical boxes. This brought the organization to a grand total of 81 boxes.
Rubino expressed his thankfulness for those who donated and came to the event, expressing, “This event was tough to replicate in a virtual format, but everyone who came together helped us make it a huge success.” He also commented, “if you want to learn more and maybe even help out a child in need this Christmas, go visit https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.”
Image courtesy of SCF.
Be First to Comment