Erwin volunteers send 1.2K shoeboxes to children worldwide

Children around the world will unwrap a special gift this holiday season thanks to 1,272 shoeboxes collected at First Christian Church in Erwin this year.Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse, asks volunteers to fill ordinary shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, hygiene items and other surprises that are then shipped to children in more than 100 countries.At the First Christian Church drop-off location, volunteers collected 1,272 shoeboxes this year, which were packed into around 900 larger shipping cartons for transport. The regional goal for the Tri-Cities area, which includes Erwin, Johnson City, Elizabethton and more, is about 60,000 shoeboxes, according to Ginger Matson, the Erwin drop-off leader.She said last year's count was slightly lower due to Tropical Storm Helene, but the local total remains strong despite challenges."We were down a little last year, but I'm sure it was due to the hurricane flood," Matson said. "We usually range around 900 shoeboxes per year at this location, but sometimes a little more or less."Matson said the shoeboxes come from local churches, individual donors and school groups across the county."A lot of these are from churches in the area, some individuals and a few groups," she said. "The Key Club and HOSA Club brought some down from the Unicoi County High School. We also get them from all over the county."Matson said volunteers plan and prepare for the project throughout the year."We shop throughout the year for this event," she said. "We look for bargains and items for each month that we would like to put in our boxes. Then, we have a ladies group here at our church that has a packing party, where we organize all the items that come in and pack our shoeboxes."Once packed, the boxes are brought to the local drop-off site, sorted and shipped to a processing center in Boone. There, staff check each box to ensure it contains only approved items before shipping them overseas."From there, they ship them out to other countries to ministry partners, who are usually preachers," Matson said.For many children, the shoebox represents their first-ever gift."Most of these kids, it's the first time they've ever got a gift," Matson said. "Each shoebox is a gospel opportunity for a kid to hear about Jesus."Matson said volunteers' dedication is fueled by the impact the boxes have on children. She said she has met adults who received shoeboxes as children and are now giving back."I have met four full-circle volunteers, which are children who received shoeboxes as a kid," Matson said. "One of them, Henry, received a box when he was nine. He couldn't go to school if he didn't have school supplies, and when he got his box, he got to go to school."Another recipient, Judy, received a soccer ball in her box and now coaches soccer herself."Each kid has a different story about what that box meant," Matson said. "It's also all about Jesus, and getting them the gospel in a tangible way that gets them excited."The collection week for Erwin volunteers began Monday, Nov. 17, and is part of National Collection Week, observed the third week of November across the U.S. Matson said the project is more than distributing gifts."I always get really excited to know these kids are gonna hear about Jesus. To me, it's about the Great Commission and bringing God glory. It's not about me. It's about the kids and what God can do through it," she said.