{"id":5535,"date":"2018-12-06T03:41:01","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T03:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=5535"},"modified":"2018-12-06T03:42:08","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T03:42:08","slug":"gh-christmas-charity-overwhelmed-by-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=5535","title":{"rendered":"GH Christmas charity overwhelmed by demand"},"content":{"rendered":"T<\/span>he early childhood studies program underestimated the amount of interest in a Christmas initiative\u00a0recently. Many University of Guelph-Humber\u00a0students followed instructions to go to the early childhood resource center to pick up a festive red and green shoebox to fill for charity. But the\u00a0department in charge\u00a0ran out of those boxes on day one.<\/p>\n

Aren Sammy, the early childhood studies resource centre manager explains in fact, after just one day of receiving the first shipment, the resource centre had given out 75 boxes \u2013 all they had in stock.<\/p>\n

The early childhood studies program partnered with Operation Christmas Child, a Canadian initiative affiliated with Samaritan\u2019s Purse, to provide Christmas gifts to kids living in developing countries.<\/p>\n

According to its website, Samaritan\u2019s Purse is a Christian organization that \u201cprovides aid to hurting people-victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sammy, who graduated from the early childhood studies program in 2018, brought the initiative to the school for the first time this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping that this partnership with the initiative continues over the years and Guelph-Humber can eventually become a huge contributor to Operation Christmas Child,\u201d\u00a0 says Sammy.<\/p>\n

Filling a box, which is about the size of a Nike<\/em> shoebox, could cost \u201cless than $10 from someone\u2019s pocket, which is maybe breakfast and a coffee in the morning but that made a child\u2019s year.\u201d Sammy explains donors pay a $10 charge to cover shipping.<\/p>\n

She says donors often include hygiene products, school supplies and age-appropriate toys, like a puzzle or Teddy Bear.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor them, those little items \u00a0mean the world,\u201d says Sammy, \u201cpacking a shoebox is really special because it feels like you\u2019re getting to know this child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Operation

Packed shoebox in the early childhood studies resource centre. (Amanda Naccarato\/GH360)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cStudents love this community outreach,\u201d says Elena Merenda, assistant program head for early childhood studies. Even if Christmas is not a part of their culture or religious practice, there is still a sense of giving that comes with Christmas time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may not be able to change the world, but we can change the lives of children,\u201d says Merenda.<\/p>\n

Once a shoebox is filled with items for a child of a specific gender and age, the boxes are then sent to children who \u201cneed to feel loved and cared for,\u201d Merenda says.<\/p>\n

Merenda says she understands students are paying for tuition, which is why the size of the box can help students stay within a certain budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people aren\u2019t really as fortunate as you and if you could do something to help them feel a little better, like even volunteering, it\u2019s not too much to ask for,\u201d says Frances Valencia, a first-year business student.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives children hope,\u201d she says. \u201cIt shows them that there are people who care about them even if they don\u2019t know about them personally.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Samartian\u2019s Purse website, Operation Christmas Child has delivered shoeboxes to more than 157 million children in over 130 countries since its origin in 1993.<\/p>\n

For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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