Scout Pack 9307, the Cub Scouts of Rainier, is participating in Operation Christmas Child, a national project by Samaritan’s Purse that sends shoeboxes filled with gifts to children in need around the world.
The 43 Cub Scouts, ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, helped assemble 29 shoeboxes containing personal care items, school supplies, clothing, games, activities, toys and more Monday, Nov. 4, for boys and girls ages 2 to 14. Scout Pack 9307 gathered each Monday in October in Rainier to collect donations. Shoeboxes will be delivered to Valley Heart Assembly of God in Rainier, where they will be processed and shipped during national collection week from Nov. 18 through Nov. 25.
Lisa Thomas, assistant den leader, said the Cub Scouts have learned about what it means to give back through the operation.
“My son and I have done it a few different times, and I thought it’d be a good thing for the scouts to do to give back and show what it means to give back,” she said. “We teach them life skills early on and how scouts are trustworthy, kind, clean and obedient. We’re teaching them how to be good kids and good people.”
Sara Abbott, a scout leader, said the operation presents a unique opportunity for children to build a positive community at an early age.
“We’re very hands-on in our community. I like that it gives the scouts a place to go that’s positive that isn’t necessarily sports. You don’t have to be athletic or have any special skills to be a scout,” she said. “It’s really cool that we’re all doing the same type of thing and sharing the same experiences in different places.”
Since 1993, more than 220 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox, according to Samaritan’s Purse.
