Breaching the subject of Operation Christmas Child

[BeanBag7]

Over the last few years it has become clear to me and many others that Operation Christmas Child is not as "good" and charitable as they appear to be. Many schools and youth groups still put together shoe boxes for them.

I want to let others know about this when they ask about which shoebox charity to support, or post pictures of their shoe boxes ready to go. But I dont want to look like a dick about it and be preachy.

Should I just leave it and let it continue, or am I right to make people aware of the issues? If so how would you go about it?

Even Christians shy away from this tbh, the church my mum is very active in would send hundreds of boxes a year until they found out exactly what then happened to them. People from other backgrounds should stay well clear.

They have now decided to collect for the local food bank and while it might not have the ‘kerb appeal’ of filling a box for a child, they know they items are wanted and going to families in genuine need, with no strings attached.

Please let your child’s school know if they start pushing this stuff. So many other charities that could benefit out there.

I used to donate filled shoeboxes and so did my mum. Logically, I knew that it must have been an economically inefficient way of giving, even though we gave the requested cash donation to cover transport costs. But we loved choosing gifts for the shoeboxes. I used to feel a bit sad for the parents who couldn’t afford the pleasure of choosing gifts for their own children.

I didn’t mind that booklets of bible stories were sometimes given out with the shoeboxes (although never inserted inside according to Operation Christmas Child/Samaritan’s Purse).

But then I saw a video on YouTube of the distribution of shoeboxes, somewhere in Eastern Europe. Families came to a church, where a stage and microphone had been set up for the event. I didn’t like the idea of speeches and fanfare. A lady sat at a table, signing up children for bible studies classes. No doubt some families signed up out of a sense of obligation.

I’m not very religious myself (although I suppose I’m a cultural Christian). I gave my gift with no strings attached, content that I’d never know anything about the recipient other than the country they lived in. I disliked the thought that families had to sit through an event to get the gifts, and (according to one rumour) they were told that the gifts had been donated by Christians, with the implication that Christians were rich and successful.

I haven’t donated a shoebox since. Although, if there is an ethical way of sending donations in kind, I would be interested.

It's also quite an ineffective way of donating with environmental impacts on delivery. I think it's worth pointing out as people don't always realise the downsides.

Our local church have stopped using them too. I don’t think it’s ever wrong to educate people on this. So many people make up these boxes and have no idea that they are used as tools .

Every year I eyeroll at the people who feel the need to 'inform' others about the evils of Op Christmas Child.

I honestly don't know where people can find the energy to be outraged that a Christian charity should read the story of Christmas to children before giving them a Christmas present.

There is no requirement for the children receiving the gifts to be Christian. All children who want a box are given one. It encourages people to give without the getting anything in return. Surely that's a good thing.

The Trussell Trust is also run by evangelical Christians. They’re just a lot more subtle about it.

Shoe boxes get plundered and the good stuff sold off, happens in the poorer countries, sorry to burst your bubbles but I thought this was fairly common knowledge.

Please be careful about discussing OCC on here.

A few years ago some posters were threatened with legal action by OCC for defamation and had to have their posts removed my MNHQ to stop it.

Why not fill shoeboxes, broadly in line with the operation christmas child, and then give them to a

The filling instructions are a good guide as to, what should go into the box.

As for Alternatives, the Rotary Club used to do a shoebox appeal that benefited actual children in poverty in the UK.

Here's an alternative: www.rotaryshoebox.org/

I find a lot of people who preach against OCC don't actually bother doing anything for charity though!

01FamilyOfAliens thanks for posting that video. I found it quite shocking. OCC is all about indoctrination, manipulation and exploitation of children, it seems to me.

mobile.twitter.com/Takon_dwa/status/1185951787867611136
This is an interesting twitter thread from someone on the other side of the donations

The majority of charities were, initially at least, set up by religious groups/individuals. But they didn't/don't have evangelising or bringing the Christian message as part of their remit. And that's where OCC gets it very wrong imo, while the Trussel Trust can't be faulted.
The latter carries out its work out of a Christian sense of fairness and obligation, is 100% non-judgmental and is happy to take a political stance too.
No-one mentions Jesus at any of their 1,200 food banks

www.trusselltrust.org/about/mission-and-values/

www.trusselltrust.org/about/our-story/

Unicef is running a scheme which seems to be new this year, and sounds like a good idea: Paddington Bear Parcels

Last Christmas I saw a few reverse advent calendar appeals from Food Banks. Here's a random one from Google

leafyskyline they don't just 'read the Christmas story to children' before giving them a box. The entire purpose of the operation is to convert children to evangelical christianity, and get to their parents through them. If you don't believe me, just look at their own website: "Discover how Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts lead to evangelism, discipleship, and the multiplication of believers and churches."

humanism.org.uk/humanism/humanism-today/humanists-doing/good-causes-and-charities/samaritans-purse/

My son’s school does Teams4U shoe boxes. Not religious.

Goingonagondola Many thanks for that link, I've just looked at the list of suggested contents for the boxes - it should be recommended reading for anyone who needs a little perspective this Christmas. Imagine being delighted to receive a toothbrush and some pan scourers as a gift

I've talked to a couple of people who were planning on doing this, I didn't make a big deal of it but just mentioned that I had heard some less-good things about it and they might want to read up a bit before going ahead. (In one case I think I gave them a link to an article about it and which also suggested some alternatives, sorry not got it any more though!).
Both times once they had done some research they decided to do something different instead.

Most of the boxes aren't even given out at Christmas, by the way. They store them for shoebox 'outreach events' (i.e. evangelical campaigns) during the year, as the children they are targeting are generally not Christian so do not have a concept of 'Christmas presents'.

For the last few years I have bought some gifts for a child in care via the Met Police Christmas appeal. You get given a specific child and are told their gender and age or you can donate money towards top-up gifts and wrapping. You drop them off at a London police station. They don’t seem to have launched this year’s yet though.

now the school supports a local food bank instead.

My local food bank made it clear that they would "suggest" a prayer before people received food. I couldn't in good conscience support that type of pressure on vulnerable people, so was unable to volunteer there.

(They also told me to bog off when I suggested they ask for sex-neutral Christmas parcels for children, rather than ending up with (say) 100 "girl" presents and 100 boys in need.)

They are not without fault either.

This another pretty comprehensive explanation of what is wrong with it and why you shouldn't support it (unless of course you are also a homophobic, anti-Muslim, right-wing, supposedly Christian but in fact incredibly hypocritical Trump supporter like Franklin Graham, in which case it should be right up your street): www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2019/09/operation-christmas-child-does-its-charity-benefit-the-public/