The River of Grace Church is running its annual “Packs of Hope” drive to collect backpacks full of toys, school supplies and goodies to send to underprivileged children in rural China in time for Christmas.
The packs will reach children, from Shandong to Henan to Yunnan. The bags are distributed through NGOs who have close contact with the church in these regions, who will take the backpacks to schools or orphanages. Members of the church will go to Shandong to aid the distribution of the packs in that province and spend some time with the children. Packs of Hope organizer Sonya Tetley, describes the scene of the presents being handed out: “It becomes a community event and whole villages come out to watch.”
The project is asking Beijingers to fill a backpack with school supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons), hygiene items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, comb) and any other items that you think a child would enjoy. Please note, however, that the church cannot accept certain items; see below for more information.
Many of these children have never received the gift of a toy before, so why not take some time to put a backpack of presents together and spread some Christmas cheer around the country?
Last year Packs of Hope pulled in 1,100 bags of goodies, and they are hoping to break that record this year.
When you’ve filled your bag, attach a tag indicating the age group and the gender the pack is intended for. The packs can be dropped off at one of four locations before December 14.
Fill a Backpack
School supplies:
Pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons, markers, erasers, rulers, notebooks, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, reading books
Hygiene items:
Toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb or brush, washcloth, etc
Other:
Hard candy (double-bagged), T-shirts, socks, undergarments, hats, mittens, scarves, hair clips, sports water bottles, skipping ropes, flashlights with extra batteries, small toys (e.g. toy cars, stuffed animals, etc.)
Do not include:
Used or damaged items, war-related items (such as toy guns, knives or military figures), chocolate or food, liquids or lotions, medicines or vitamins, breakable items (such as glass containers), aerosol cans
The River of Grace Church
The Great Hotel, Office 2/F, 1 Zuojiazhuang Lu (6466 1680) 北京贵国酒店,左家庄1号
The Yard Malaysian
3 Kaifa Jie, Xibaixinzhuang, Houshayu, Shunyi District (8049 9449) 庭院餐厅, 顺义区后沙峪西白辛庄开发街3号
O’Briens
1/F Clubhouse, Bldg 1, Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Compound, 19 Dongfang Donglu, Chaoyang District (8532 1681) 朝阳区东方东路19号亮马桥外交公寓1号楼会所1层
6 Riverville Square, Tianzhu, Shunyi District. (6450 8588) 顺义区天竺温榆广场06号商铺
