MAKING LAS VEGAS A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE

Operation Christmas Child provides gifts to needy children

By Beth Fisher

CREATED Nov. 8, 2012

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  • One mom and her kids are helping make Las Vegas a better place to live by participating in Operation Christmas Child Video by ktnv.com

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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- All over Southern Nevada people are filling shoe boxes with toys, toothbrushes, and school supplies. Those boxes will be shipped around the globe to children in third world countries. It's called Operation Christmas Child. Nevada is participating to the tune of 17,000 boxes, making Las Vegas a better place to live.

The Fellows and Padilla families spend their year collecting and making things to put in Christmas shoe boxes. Third-grader Julia Padilla says, "So that kids around the world who have nothing get something."

Millions of kids around the World will be getting a box full of goodies. It's likely the only gift they have ever received in their lifetime. 12-year-old Dax Fellows says we should all be thinking about those kids. "We should. It's what the Lord wants us to do. We need to care about others, even though we don't know them. We need to care about others."

Last year Dax was able to track his package to a child in the Philippines. He and his friends spend the year saving everything from crayons from restaurants, toothbrushes from the dentist, even happy meal toys for this project.

Mom Jamie Padilla says Operation Christmas Child is a family affair. "Well when we do it together, then it's more fun.  But I want my kids to learn there is more than self centerdness in life and they are giving out to other people."

If you want to fill a shoe box, the National Collection Week is November 12-19.

For information about where to drop off your shoebox click here.

And if you'd like to join in on a packing party here in the Valley on Friday, November 9th, go to occlasvegasnv@gmail.com or call Brenda Meehan for information (702) 524-0604.