Malverne Church Carries Out Operation Christmas Child

Volunteers were hard at work wrapping and stocking gift boxes on Nov. 21 at the Malverne Bible Church. There were millions of children that were counting on them this year. It sounds like Santa's workshop, but these volunteers are actually a vital part of an international program called Operation Christmas Child.

Sponsored by Samaritan's Purse International Relief, Operation Christmas Child sends toy-filled shoe boxes to eight million children in over 130 countries.

"We have been involved in this charity for seven years now," said Pastor Tom Carpino. "This is, however, our first year as a main relay station."

As a relay station, it was the church's responsibility to wrap and send the boxes out to the main center in Westbury by Thanksgiving. From there they are packaged and trucked to the main distribution center in North Carolina and than shipped overseas to millions of needy kids before the Christmas holiday.

"It is a lot of work but our volunteers are happy to be a part of it," said Carpino.

One of those volunteers was 15-year-old Samantha Henry. "I have a lot of fun doing this," said Samantha. "It is work but you really don't think about it like that. It is good to know that it is all going for a good cause."

"The kids love it,"  Carpino said. "Particularly around the holidays, kids tend to get selfish, thinking about what presents they are going to get, but with this program they know they are doing something to make someone else's life a little better."