To secretly fill a Christmas Charity shoebox with as good as new toys?

[ferriswheel]

I've filled an authentic one already. But all things considered I could do a great job of 'nearly new' version.

Or is this very bad karma?

[simiisme]

There are plenty of charities collecting gifts for people in need both here and overseas who don't expect you to fall to your knees and 'convert' to receive them.
A homeless charity near where I live offers meals, help, legal advice etc and hands out shoe boxes of gifts without so much as a prayer.

[clarehhh]

I have sorted boxes for a few years for OCC and boxes stay intact where possible but different countries have different rules eg some with gambling problem say no playing cards, some are no chocolate, all no liquids.Some no war toys Spiderman etc.So boxes for these countries have items taken out and other fillers added, the idea is to keep as you chose as far as possible, however if there is just one threadbear teddy they remove and fill a new one.Items can be good as new but must be very clean.Boxes are standardised so a perfect box missing the toothpaste has it added.Each has cuddy toy, toy, sweets, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste and gloves or hat, pens or pencils after that own choices.Even cuddly toy for older children we are told very popular when you have nothing and less sophisticated than UK children.Some are beautiful and perfect other contain a pair of worn out trainers or tatty toys, these are the ones not sent.Usually pack with people who have given them out stories so heart warming.

[KrytensNanobots]

Whoohoo, it must be nearly Christmas because the Mumsnet OCC traditional shoebox outrage thread has started! Bring it on, Merry Christmas everyone

[Littlenic73]

Operation Christmas child is not the only organization that sends shoeboxes abroad. We have been sending them to Eastern Europe through The Trussell Trust for quite a few years. Any child receiving a box is generally grateful for the contents, Whether absolutely new or as new. Most children in this country get far more toys than they could ever play with so some are very much as new if they've barely made it out of the box.

[xqwertyx]

Thanks @AnneGrommit I had no idea either

[Maireadplastic]

One thing we're doing this year is putting something in a box every day of Advent- food or toiletries- to give to the local food bank. Getting my kids involved- I cannot bear those advent calendars where they get a little present everyday (advent's all about waiting) so this feels like a good antidote.

[KrytensNanobots]

How do you know that the scheme the OP was referring to wasnt run by a non preachy group such as Plan UK, Oxfam, Save the Children etc??

Anything to be the first to say "ban all the shoeboxes" regardless of not actually knowing that it could be one of the many other non religious ones.

[caringcarer]

I do 12 boxes for OCC every year and my children have been brought up to expect one present less and I have took them to choose little toys for shoeboxes. I have also helped for two years in sorting center where we had to check no guns or liquids and if a box did not have much in we topped up with spare stuff. I don't have any faith but would not see a kid with nothing at Xmas I also give a few bigger gifts to kids in U.K that local authority distributes. My boxes went to Romania last year and some kids can't go to school with no equipment. A lot of the boxes go to orphanages and these kids would go without otherwise. Please don't turn your back on these kids just because you think a few religious folk may be homophobic.

[CherriesInTheSnow]

Holy fucking shit I did 2 of these last year, I genuinely had no idea they were like this :( Am feeling awful now, will stick to donating to the local food banks, nothing I hate more than pushy evangelism and their penchant for incessantly praying on vulnerable sectors of the population

[Willow2017]

greenland
Sorry but they put their conversion booklet in every shoebox. There have been instances where they refused to give aid until the locals joined in a Christian prayer meeting holding up genuine aid by other agencies. Hell old Mr Evangelism himself has said that the shoe boxes are their greatest evangelical tool ever to convert all the heathens in the world. He is rampantly islamophobic, well phobic agsinst any non Christian religion and not afraid to say it. Along with his homophobia it makes him a pitiful excuse for a Christian with all that tolerance and love Thy neighbour teachings.

There are countless companies and Christian organisations in USA (and uk)which have distanced themselves from the organisation.

Booklets aren't put in the boxes in UK as it's not allowed. They are put in once outside the UK. It's in thier website.

[Willow2017]

caregiver
So 12 kids will be pressurised to read thier booklet and sign the declaration at the end to say they are converting to Christianity whatever thier current religion just to get a few pencils and rubbers?

[Willow2017]

Stupid phone caringcarer

[exexpat]

@RaquelWelch - the big international aid & development charities like Oxfam, Plan, Save the Children etc don't do Christmas shoeboxes, so the OP could not have been referring to them.

They don't do them because sending boxes of random items round the world is a wasteful, ineffectual and often counterproductive form of charity that really does more to make the giver feel good about themselves than it does to help the recipients.

[YouMeanNothing]

I don't know anything about this or the organisation or its homophobia etc but equally I don't believe the humanist life thing is unbiased either

[flowery]

"Please don't turn your back on these kids just because you think a few religious folk may be homophobic"

A bit more than "a few religious folk". It's the people who run the organisation you're choosing to support.

It's perfectly possible to give to underprivileged children at Christmas without supporting such a vile organisation- don't act like it's either OCC or nothing at all.

I prefer to give to charity in a more informed way, and through organisations which are in keeping with my own beliefs and priorities.

[SoupDragon]

Please don't turn your back on these kids just because you think a few religious folk may be homophobic.

or pick a scheme that isn't run by homophobic Christian fanatics.

[Willow2017]

Pod course there is also the glaringly obvious fact that many of the kids these show boxes go to DO NOT CELEBRATE XMAS in the first place.
It's just an excuse.

[Mountainpika]

Why just at Christmas?
Children need support all year round.

[keffie12]

I am a practicing christian. Thank you for bringing this to our attention Anne. I had no idea.

I belong to an independent church and I know our church and indeed the majority, contrary to what is portrayed do not agree with the attitudes of.

We do our own Christmas boxes each year for families so they are given locally. The church has a whole in The U.K is far more involved in services to the public and whilst people's views can vary the group you talk about actively promote what we/I believe is untrue. If you know the bible has I do nowhere is this matter condemned

[sleeponeday]

There's a Christian shoebox project that has no dodgy ties to supposed Christians who call Islam Satanic and support Putin's campaign against gay people. And they don't use it as leverage to evangelise, either. They are recommended on the Humanist website, in fact.

I know, because my child's playgroup supports them and I googled to ensure they weren't linked to OCC and that shower of hate.

[Willow2017]

carefree
But bribing kids to abandom their own religion and convert to Christianity with a box of something they might desperately need like soap or a warm wooly hat is not exactly a nice thing to do by anyone's standards.

[sleeponeday]

The Humanist site does also say this, though:

If your local school is irretrievably wedded to the idea of a Christian shoebox scheme, the BHA advise that Link to Hope don’t distribute any literature with their boxes. The Rotary Club also runs a similar scheme and they at least have a proven track record when it comes to providing worthwhile aid within the developing world. But most charities with a genuine desire to bring change to the developing world and to lift children out of poverty now reject the Christmas box model; donors may well have the best of intentions, but sending a shoe box full of gifts is ultimately a grossly inefficient and environmentally questionable way to give. If your school would like to back a more effective scheme with tangible outcomes you could suggest that they look at those run by Plan UK, Oxfam, Save the Children, Aquabox or Good Gifts.

Honestly, I think a lot of people make up shoeboxes because they like doing it, which is fine. And it is nice to get kids aware that others are less lucky, and need help. But that means the primary beneficiary isn't the child at the end of the process.

[Haudyerwheesht]

Our local scout group which ds attends support samaritans purse. I contacted them and said why I didn't think it was appropriate. They basically replied that they didn't care and have carried on doing it.

[Mountainpika]

form of charity that really does more to make the giver feel good about themselves than it does to help the recipients.

Two posters have said this.

Could they explain? Are they saying that's the only reason people give? That we should all stop giving?

[SherbrookeFosterer]

At least you made the effort.

Don't be so hard on yourself, OP.