EAST PASCO ADVENTIST ACADEMY STUDENTS PACK CHRISTMAS BOXES
by Lisa Ziegele
Students and staff from East Pasco Adventist Academy (EPAA), Dade City, Fla., packed more than 40 gift-filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This is the first year the school has participated in the international outreach program of Samaritan’s Purse that provides children in war-torn and developing nations with gift boxes at Christmastime.
Boxes were packed with items often taken for granted by students in North America—basic toiletries like soap and toothpaste, school supplies, small toys, and candy. Students were able to track the destination country of their boxes and find information on the work Operation Christmas Child is doing in those countries.
“I hope the kids who received the gifts we packed will know they are special,” says EPAA seventh-grader Jada Theodore. “I’m glad that we could be a part of making other kids’ Christmases memorable.”