BARRHEAD – It’s a new record.
At the end of the collection period for Barrhead’s Operation Christmas Child (OCC) effort, organizers counted up 997 shoeboxes, eclipsing the old record of 917 set last year.
"It is a little surprising," said Herb Mantey, who along with wife Derra organized the Barrhead project.
OCC is a project run by Samaritan’s Purse Canada, a non-denominational evangelical Christian organization founded in 1970. The project fills shoeboxes with Christmas gifts for needy kids in desperate situations around the world.
Depending on the year and what is going on in the world, Canadian filled boxes can go to various countries around the world. In recent years, Canadian boxes have gone to Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua and Africa (Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Sierra Leone).
OCC was brought to Barrhead in 1995 by former Barrhead Leader publisher Al Blackmere. The Manteys and the Alliance Church took over the effort 14 years ago.
Herb noted that recently OCC introduced a new online shoe packing option, which is becoming increasingly popular.
"We thought because of this popularity and because of the pandemic that we would see a decrease in the number of physical boxes, but that hasn't been the case," he said.
Derra also noted that although COVID-19 has changed the way they prepare the boxes for shipping, it still takes a small army of volunteers.
She said they created a small assembly line of tables organized by box recipient ages, noting each box needs to be opened, checked and sometimes repacked. Volunteer packers ranged from young children who came to help with their parents to local firefighters.
"(Our) church foyer looked like it was part of a North Pole warehouse," Derra said.
Herb added that in addition to the boxes, the Stitchers and Rippers sewing club donated assorted children's clothes such as dresses, T-shirts and dolls.
"The Hillcrest Lodge knitting club also donated socks, slippers mitts, scarves and toques. One lady dropped off 600 handmade toques," he said.
The Manteys also noted that for the third year, Barrhead volunteers also helped pack and ship more than upwards of 400 boxes from Whitecourt's OCC effort.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
