SAAC Fills 81 Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child

Posted: Dec 12, 2022

STANDISH, Maine – For the 11th annual event, members of the Saint Joseph's College Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) gathered and packed items for Operation Christmas Child, a global Christmas gift exchange project operated by Samaritan's Purse.

The Saint Joseph's SAAC, which features representatives from each of the Monks' athletic team, gathered on Sunday, November 13th to fill shoeboxes with toys and other items that will be shipped to less fortunate children, ages 2-14, in multiple countries around the world.

The student-athletes assembled the boxes, which were filled with items such as washcloths, socks, hair accessories, toy cars, stuffed animals, pencils, crayons, coloring books, bouncy balls, and various other items – with every item having been donated by SAAC members and SJC athletic programs.

With the help of Committee Advisor Tiffany Miller-Gagnon and Committee Assistant Advisor Megan Dunlap, the SJC SAAC members assembled 81 total boxes (13 more than last year). Their contribution was added to the shipment made by Royal Ridge Church of God in Scarborough, Maine. Samaritan's Purse provides a tracking feature so the SJC SAAC members will learn where each package was sent. These boxes were counted in the 13,603 shoeboxes here in southern Maine.

Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse, provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in simple, hands-on mission projects. According to the Samaritan's Purse website, the mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Operation Christmas Child 2022

#GOMONKS

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Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts college in the Mercy tradition. We are inclusive of all faiths, including no faith. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. A pioneer of distance education since the 1970s, the College also provides online certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees for thousands more working adults who reside in more than 20 other countries. In 2015 the College was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its Community Engagement Classification, highlighting the College’s focus on community service throughout its mission and daily interactions within local, regional, and global communities. In 2018, Princeton Review recognized SJC as one of its “Green Colleges” for its sustainability initiatives. Learn more at www.sjcme.edu.