The OCC Item of the Month is School Supplies

The Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Item of the Month for August is school supplies! Back to school sales make August the perfect month to purchase quality school supplies at great prices. A child receives a shoebox only once in their ENTIRE life – let’s make these boxes great!

OCC School supply list:

• Rulers
• Pencils
• Crayola Crayons (24 count or smaller). Crayola crayons won’t melt when shipped overseas to warmer climates…other brands will.
• Colored Pencils
• Notebooks that will fit in a shoebox

Since savvy shoppers know that August is a fantastic month to find flip flops and summer clothes on sale, we’d like to remind everyone that we’re thrilled to collect all items year-round. There are a wide variety of clothing items appropriate for Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoeboxes! For example:

• T-shirts – Shirts without writing, are best. English is not the primary language in many of the OCC countries and kids may not even understand what is written on their shirts. There’s also a culture gap.
• Shorts, especially those with elastic waistbands so they last and fit longer.
• Skirts, especially with elastic waistbands
• Hats
• Flip Flops/Shoes – These are especially important because shoes help kids who have to walk long distances to get to school or to get water from a well.
• Socks – These are key…it gets cold at night even though the days are hot.

Of course, WOW items, like a soccer ball with an air pump, are always needed.

Simply drop off your donations in the bin just outside of Fellowship Hall by the children’s ministries bulletin board. If you have any questions, please contact Trephina Bedell, tbedell@ilcp.org or 847-359-1549. More on information Operation Christmas Child can be found at Immanuelpalatine.org/operation-christmas-child.