that is great news - they are a very small outfit but they do manage to do a lot of good work.

stressed2007, thank you very much for the romanian link, i will investigate it forthwith! i feel deeply uncomfortable about the samaritan's purse outfit, and having read this thread and some of the links i have raised the matter with my kids' school, who are looking into it.
just to let you all know - we were really keen to send a parcel or two to forces overseas but when i contacted our local 'support our soldiers' representative she said that they were absolutely inundated with parcels and could not deal with any more! which is great, in that clearly people really have the armed forces in their minds at the moment, but means i was back to the drawing-board - so i will look into the romanian option now. thanks again.

Can I please second the appeal sending a shoebox overseas to soldiers. I suspect it is is not that popular among non military families (only that it is not something I feel gets a lot of publicity) and in the light of all the debates re the job our soldiers do and how they are so poorly treated seems a very good cause.

I also do not give to SP - I disliked what I read about them 2 years so. I give to a charity called link romania.

Info about the charity generally:

http://www.linkromania.co.uk/about-link-romania

Please can I give them a plug. They work with some of the poorest people in Romania, Moldovia etc. They have several ventures that run all year round - soup kitchens, sponsoring families etc. They are a very small charity but I feel do a great job. I really had n't realised how destitute and near to not surviving some families are (I am talking living on gruel in unheated stone huts etc).

With them you do shoeboxes but it is for the whole family - often parents, kids, grandparents etc all living together in one freezing room so the idea is to give a bit of cheer to all. When I have read some of the stories about how over the moon they are when they basically receive what we consider to be hardly anything it is really heart breaking but good at the same time.

Here is main index about the shoe box appeal which links to other pages about how to get involved (where it says registration closed it means for people that act as the centre points for collecting in the shoe boxes not for those that want to make up and give the shoe boxes):

http://www.linkromania.co.uk/shoebox-appeal

If you want any more info please get in touch - there is lots of info on their website.

Sorry, taken from Wikipedia.

The accounts for Samaritan's Purse UK for 2006 show a turn over in excess of £22 million..[29] Of this total, £1.3 million were disbursed on relief and aid projects with the balance spent on promotion and operations associated with the evangelical project Operation Christmas Child.

That's not a lot spent on aid and an awful lot spent on proseletysing.

I've posted this on another thread too, as I think it indicates Samaritan's Purse priorities very clearly.

Hello, I'm looking into the whole issue of Samaritan's Purse for the Guardian and keen to hear from posters on this thread - anonymously if preferred. Please email me at polly.curtis@guardian.co.uk
Polly

Read this www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Newsletter/
My Daughter's School have just decided to ditch them.
- Amnon

[crossposted from an earlier topic, as this one is more recent...]

I listen to children read at my kid's school, and was lucky enough to be in school when the lady from Operation Christmas Child came in to present the shoebox campaign in Assembly. She expalained to the children that here in the UK, most of us are blessed with more toys, treats and essentials than we need, yet in some parts of the world, children go without. Sending a shoebox is a powerful way of saying that we care, and making one child, somewhere, feel loved.

She then explained carefully and clearly what was suitable to pack into a shoebox. She stressed that we didn't need to spend a lot of money - a lot of small items are inexpensive, or even free (eg, MacDonald's Happy Meal toys, etc). She said that if children weren't able to give a whole shoebox themselves, they could always contribute something that could be packed into another box. That way, everyone has the opportunity to give, no matter how much or how little you can afford.

Personally, I collect small bits and pieces all the year around, and save them up until November. That way, I can make the most of special offers and giveaways, and fill a shoebox without feeling I am overspending. I am pleased to pay for items like toothpaste and sweets as it is a way of giving to someone who wouldn't normally enjoy those things.

I would urge everyone to spread a little love around at Christmas time, whether they consider themselves Christian or not. It's a great way to teach our kids to share, too.

I think Mary's Meals are an excellent charity to support.

You could also try www.supportoursoldiers.co.uk/SOSChristmasParcels2009HomePage.html if you want to send parcels to people who might not otherwise get anything at Christmas and who are far from home in often dangerous conditions.

They are quite clear on their aim of conversion

"The goal of the project is to offer children the opportunity to participate in the Operation Christmas Child Discipleship Program, and to give every graduate of this exciting program a New Testament in their local language."