FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Oct. 30, 2014) -- This year, children in need in various countries will have a Christmas gift to unwrap thanks to the efforts of the Fort Jackson Protestant Women of the Chapel, or PWOC.
Fort Jackson PWOC members came to the Main Post Chapel Tuesday to fill shoe boxes with toys, hygiene items and letters of encouragement for the children and their families.
"Today, we hope to package at least 75 shoe boxes. These children in need can use hygiene items, toys and mostly a smile on Christmas day," said Suzanne Hall, PWOC president.
Hall said many of the women will bring packages from home as well to add to the shipment.
PWOC, a fellowship of Christian women associated with the military, worked with Operation Christmas Child, an organization that supplies relief gifts to children from countries all over the world, to send the boxes.
"The children who will receive these boxes will be overjoyed when they receive their gifts," Hall said. "To know that someone thousands of miles away cares enough to take the time to package a Christmas box means a lot. To be able to help these children and families in other countries I think this is a privilege and a responsibility of ours as Christians."
Patricia McBride, PWOC member and volunteer, who helped coordinate the Operation Christmas Child event and has been packing boxes for 15 years, shared her experience about helping a child in Guyana.
"This past July, I was sorting through shoe boxes and I became tired and frustrated," McBride said.
She said she doubted her efforts and asked God if all the work put into packing these shoe boxes was really worth it. She decided to take a break and read a few emails. One of the emails was from Operation Christmas Child.
"As I began to read the email I saw this sweet girl's picture (taken) by an OCC staff member traveling with our U.S. Youth Team who delivers shoe boxes on behalf of organizations in the U.S."
The email said the girl was Sabrina from Leguan Island, Guyana, and that she was excited to receive a picture and a note from the family who packaged her Operation Christmas Child shoe box.
"I was totally amazed and so excited to see our family picture that this little girl was holding up," McBride said. "I believe God orchestrated this to be the answer to my question."
One of the youth who was on the shoe box distribution team wrote McBride an email to share details about Sabrina's excitement.
"I just wanted to say thank you so much for packing shoe boxes and even putting in a picture of your family in as well," he wrote. "You have no idea how it makes a kid feel to receive a shoe box and have a picture of the family that packed it... so thank you so much for helping to give a child some hope for the future and just bringing a smile to (her face)."
For more information on how to connect with PWOC contact Suzanne Hall at jacksonpwoc@gmail.com.
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