Giving Multiplied with Back-to-School Sales

For many children, access to these simple items is critical to an education. This was the case for Luis Gonzales, a shoebox recipient raised by a single mother in the ghetto of Panama City, Panama.

“I know what it is like to not have enough money for basic school supplies,” said Gonzalez, whose experience is not uncommon for many children living in poverty. One day, Gonzalez received a gift-filled shoebox from Operation Christmas Child and found it filled with the school supplies he needed. “My shoebox gift gave me the opportunity to pursue an education and taught me to never lose hope. These gifts can truly impact a child's life forever,” said Gonzalez.

For Olesea Makarets who was born and raised in a family of nine in a small village in Moldova, the thing that stood out to her the most was a pack of colorful markers. “I couldn't take my eyes off them. I didn't know some of the colors existed. I was so excited I jumped up and started running around the room. The markers my family had at home were dried out. We would dip them in water just to make them last a little longer. I always wished I could color and draw—the markers were exactly what I wanted. I could hardly wait to show my friends at school the new markers.”

Sisters Shanika and Sherika who grew up in rural Jamaica received notebooks and pencils in their shoebox gifts at age 8. “Before this, our father cut a notebook and pencil in half so we'd have school supplies. We also received our first calculator—a small, gray one we still love to use. Through the shoebox gifts, we learned that you don't have to be close neighbors in order to help each other. These gifts came from strangers.”