Box of Joy Goes National in 2016
Last Christmas in the Caribbean and Central America, 11,500 kids in dire poverty tore open gifts from Cross Catholic Outreach’s Box of Joy ministry. This year, the number of kids opening gifts may jump to more than 20,000.
Box of Joy is a way for people anywhere to pack a Christmas gift box and deliver it to a child who otherwise would receive nothing.
“Think of Christmas with no gifts — nothing — just another day empty with deprivation,” Cross Catholic Outreach President Jim Cavnar said. “For tens of thousands of kids, we’re changing that. We’re saying Christmas means something.”
Enter Box of Joy.
Through parishes, churches, schools and groups nationwide, families and individuals can take a shoebox and pack it with gifts such as small toys, bar soap, pencils, a toothbrush, toothpaste, hard candy, crayons, coloring books or T-shirts. Each box must include a $9 check to cover shipment and to support the charities helping the child’s community. All boxes are delivered to drop-off centers across the country. No drop-off center nearby? Do it all online at www.CrossCatholic.org/BoxOfJoy.
“The gifts do something profound,” Steve Bostian, Box of Joy director, said. “They tell kids they have value and hope. And when a child feels loved, lives can change. Families packing boxes here in the U.S., meanwhile, are blessed, too, as they share in an act of compassion.”
In 2014, Cross Catholic Outreach pioneered the Box of Joy program with groups organized through two dioceses. In 2015, the number jumped to 12 dioceses (156 parishes, Catholic schools and other groups participated). This year Box of Joy goes national.
By September, participating groups each select a project leader, set a goal of how many children they want to help, and order materials. By October, campaigns are underway. During Box of Joy Week, Nov. 5-13, all groups deliver their boxes to drop-off centers.
To learn more, visit BoxofJoy.org.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
