Volunteers at Blackberry Baptist Church have been hard at work this holiday season, participating in Operation Christmas Child, a global initiative to bring joy and essential resources to children in need. The program, which encourages individuals to pack shoeboxes with gifts and supplies, officially began its drop-off period on November 18, with the church hosting a weeklong collection drive.
Volunteers unloaded cars, packed boxes, and prayed over the donations. Leading the effort was Melisa Janey, a 28-year veteran of the program and the drop-off leader at Blackberry Baptist Church.
“I have been serving Operation Christmas Child for 28 years. I love Operation Christmas Child,” Janey said. She recounted how she and her husband packed their first shoebox decades ago, sparking a lifelong commitment to the cause. “I grew up loving missions, but I’m not a missionary. This is an opportunity to send a special gift around the world to a special child and share the love of God with them.”
Operation Christmas Child asks participants to pack shoeboxes filled with practical items, like pencils and hygiene products, for the cost of $10 per box. For many recipients, these small gifts are transformative.
“That was what Jesus was about, meeting our physical needs and our everyday needs,” Janey said, emphasizing the program’s mission to provide for children’s basic needs while sharing the message of God’s love.
The volunteers opened the church’s doors for eight days to accept boxes, and they organized a packing party where church members assembled shoeboxes.
Packing Memories
For some, the effort was deeply personal. Volunteer Debra Elgin, a church relations coordinator, packed boxes in memory of her loved ones.
“It’s a way to continue to let their memory live on,” Elgin said. One special box, which included a light-up unicorn plush, was packed in memory of her mother, Esther Elgin, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 92.
The church also honored the memory of other loved ones by creating memorial shoeboxes.
“It’s an opportunity during the holiday season to give to people that we normally wouldn’t give to,” said volunteer Heather Putnam. “It’s a simple way to give to a child and hope it makes a lasting impression.”
Volunteer Chelsea Prevento, who has seen the impact of Operation Christmas Child firsthand, continued her work despite undergoing a kidney transplant in 2021.
“I’ve seen the impact it makes on these children. Many times, it’s the only gift they will ever receive in their life,” Prevento said, highlighting how the boxes often include school supplies, which enable children to attend school.
Once the boxes are collected, they are sent to a central drop-off location in Rocky Mount before being transported to the Samaritan’s Purse center in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, volunteers inspect the boxes to ensure compliance with guidelines.
“It will get donated,” Janey explained, adding that prohibited items are sent to local shelters, women’s centers, or food banks.
For Janey and the other volunteers, Operation Christmas Child is more than a seasonal event—it’s a mission to bring light into the lives of children worldwide.
