St. Paul School of Princeton Participates in "Operation Christmas Child"

     Operation Christmas Child is the largest Christmas project of its kind in the world and the fifth graders of St. Paul School of Princeton along with their second grade “buddies” have continued the school’s 10 year holiday tradition of assembling hundreds of shoebox gifts containing basic toiletries, toys, candy, school supplies and socks purchased and donated by the school’s students, parents and staff.  Assisted by fifth grade teachers, Annie Britschge and Rich Langlois and second grade teachers Amy DeLorenzo and John Finnegan, the students recently shipped shoeboxes that will be distributed to children of need in over 130 countries.

     Since 1993, more than 100 million children have been recipients of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child.  This effort is coordinated through the nondenominational Christian international relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse, which provides aid to people of need worldwide.  It has helped victims of war, poverty, disease, famine, and natural disasters. Shoebox gifts are obtained from donors throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia with more than 500,000 volunteers worldwide helping with their collection, shipping, and distribution.  Over the years, St. Paul’s School of Princeton has received acknowledgements for their shoebox gifts from many parts of the world including Peru, Ecuador and Uganda.