'The Power of a Simple Gift' is the heading on the leaflet sent out by this charity and how true it is.

During the years I have been organising the collection for Samaritan's Purse thousands of shoeboxes have been sent from this area to children caught in the midst of wars, natural disasters, and extreme poverty to show them they have not been forgotten. Operation Christmas Child sent over 1.3 million boxes from the U.K. last year to children in hospitals, orphanages, Internally Displaced Persons camps, homeless shelters and impoverished neighbourhoods. It is the world's largest children's Christmas project because of the generosity of people like you.

What could be simpler than covering a shoebox (readily available from local shoe shops) with seasonal wrapping paper and filling it with small gifts to be hand delivered to a child in need. A child who would perhaps otherwise, receive nothing at the festive time of year.
If you would like to support this year's collection it is imperative that you have a

leaflet from the charity as this gives details of the small number of gift restrictions, wrapping instructions to comply with Customs, and label. These are available from me at 4 South View, Hemyock, Devon EX15 3SQ (SAE please). Boxes need to be ready for collection by early November.

Please let your power of a simple gift bring joy to a child at Christmas
Janice Bawler