To want an alternative to school Operation Christmas Child/Samaritan’s Purse shoe box appeal?

[EmeraldVillage]

My eldest’s school appears to support this scheme each year and my child is always very keen to take part- I think they get the hard sell. I have reservations about it for a variety of reasons and whilst am happy to support a Christmas appeal would like to suggest alternatives to the school before anything come out. I should add that the head can get a bit prickly if she thinks she is being criticised by parents so I need to handle carefully.

Has anyone suggested an alternative to their school and been successful? If so what schemes would you recommend?

What are your reservations about the current scheme?

Someone at our school told the head they didn’t like it as the Christian ethos put them off. Erm, it’s CHRISTmas!

But our school also does something I think paired with local authority where you get a child’s first name and age and you have to buy them a gift. I guess they are locally ‘looked after’ children.

Mary's Meals is a great alternative

humanistlife.org.uk/2015/10/14/why-parents-shouldnt-support-operation-christmas-child/

My son's school do one supported by the local Rotary. No mention of OCC or SP.

What about an appeal for a local children's home and disadvantaged children in the local area? I know we do big ones in my city every year in shopping centres and things.

Where I used to work they did a scheme where the boxes went to the children of homeless families who were being housed in B&Bs and hostels.

Some good ideas here thanks. Any more?

Our school doesn't do one but we do the police one - you get allocated an age and choose a present and drop it off at the police station to get wrapped and delivered. If your police force does similar you could do that instead?

DS's old school collected things for a local women's refuge - toiletries for the women, toys/accessories for children. Unwrapped so they could be given to appropriate age DC.

And as to my reservations - I am uncomfortable with the people behind it, the evangelising and frankly shipping the stuff half way around the world. So a local non evangelising scheme run by sensible people (via a church or whatever would be fine) would be ideal.

We got our primary school to change shoe box scheme (but we're abroad so our alternative wont help you). At first we received a very abrasive reply from the head of school, but then the RE teacher who'd actually done the organising got in touch and basically admitted he'd done no background research and was horrified by what he'd found out when our email was passed on to him and he looked into it. The following year they changed to the scheme we'd suggested. So it can be done.

Have you pointed out to your school the reasons why this isn't a scheme they should get behind, maybe send them the link posted above? People are often blinded by the word 'appeal' and emotive imagery so they don't look too closely at the organizations behind it. Can you try and encourage them to support a more local cause? Here, for instance we fill boxes and donate clothes and toys to go to local children in foster care or who are living in homeless shelters.

And as to my reservations - I am uncomfortable with the people behind it, the evangelising and frankly shipping the stuff half way around the world.

I get it, I didn't know it was run by people like that.
YANBU.

This is the head of Samaritan's Purse, which runs Operation Christmas Child. I think it would be very hard for any school in the UK which has values including diversity, tolerance etc to support any charity linked to him: www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/24/billy-graham-evangelical-decline-franklin-graham-217077

I think Christmas Child is a great scheme but have massive reservations about its parent org Samaritans Purse which has put me off it.

I wish there was an alternative too

OCC is a vile organisation. Last year I was fed up of it being offered at DS' school and asked if there was an alternative local charity we could make boxes for. We ended up making boxes for a local homeless organisation that went straight to source, with no hidden religious batshit agenda. Could you try this?

Also, the word Christ is in Christmas. So? It's not just a Christian festival. The word shit is also in Christmas, by the way.

They are utter scumbags. I bet most of the parents have no idea. I'd definitely send an email to the head with some of the links.

The Salvation Army collect for children in care and hostels. You wrap up a present with a child's gender and age on it. I just did boxes of Lego and used recommended age on box.

I worked in a soup kitchen/drop in service for homeless men and women and a primary school arranged for their kids to make their own cards to send as a batch, including (vetted) messages that they would want to tell a homeless person - included things like I'm sorry you don't have a house' 'i hope you're warm and there's a fire' 'i hope you get some presents I might have some left over '

It was honestly the most emotional thing I've seen, the impact was huge.

Oh yaaaaay, it must be getting near Christmas as the obligatory MN Operation Christmas Child posts are starting up already!

I was also going to do a shoe box last year until I read all the religious teachings and stuff that goes with it, it seems a bit like they use the shoebox to lure in new recruits. I get that it's Christmas but I think it would be nice to give to kids without an agenda (let's be honest the vast majority of people that celebrate Christmas in the UK aren't that religious)

Local to me there is a Christmas tree gift giving thing sorry can't remember what it's called but there is a (virtual?) tree and each bauble has a name of a local disadvantaged kid on it (think kids of people in temporary housing etc) with their age and what they'd like. Maximum spend a tenner. It's heartbreaking as there are lots of things on there like 'colouring book and crayons' things that most kids take for granted.