Kate DeTellis (11), Nathan DeTellis (19) and their grandmother (Nonna) enjoyed quality time serving at the volunteer center for the Shoebox Drive in Orlando.
I witnessed a great, life-changing love with the Christmas Shoebox Drive. Having just returned from Haiti, my time at the shoebox center was all the more meaningful. I would meet people coming to drop off their boxes, and was amazed by the generosity and love poured out to children whom most donors may never know.
People brought boxes for unsponsored children by the hundreds. On the cover of the box was written Attention: Unsponsored Child. Inside the boxes I would find little notes of prayers and blessings from children and adults. They expressed hope and love that would stretch from one heart to another. For certain, our children will be blessed as the shoeboxes touch the lives of those living in extreme poverty.
The arrival of the shoeboxes in Haiti came the very week of Christmas.
Each gift when given to a child gives us the opportunity to tell the child about the love of Jesus. It encourages them in their faith and walk with God, and also invites them to accept Jesus into their lives. The Christmas Shoebox Drive is about extending the great gift of the love of Jesus to a child. May the joy of blessing these children touch your heart. Thank you
for creating loving smiles on the faces of these precious children.
~Jeanne DeTellis O’Connor
From sunglasses to extra school supplies, the surprises inside each shoebox are a blessing to an entire family.
When the children of New Missions come to the school office and receive the shoebox sent by their sponsor, it’s a day they will never forget.
