General News
17 July, 2026
Local shoebox appeal thrives
Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is marking 30 years in Victoria, with Maryborough volunteers getting behind the cause for much of that time to support international kids in need.
A project by Samaritans Purse, OCC was founded in 1993 to support children in war-torn Europe.
Millions of shoe boxes have been filled with stationary, clothes, toys, books and other items kids might need, specific to an assigned age group and gender.
By 1996, the project made its way to Victoria.
Since then, around 200 million shoeboxes of gifts have been sent to children in 175 countries and territories around the world.
Closer to home, Cheryl Howlett has been coordinator of Maryborough’s group for 23 years, with volunteer Cheryl Walker packing for about 18 years.
The local volunteers had their recent launch of this year’s campaign, and got to hear first hand accounts of the impact the project has had on children in South Africa.
“One thing that stood out to all of us is the kids love sunglasses,” Ms Walker said.
“What they also just love at the moment is a soccer ball with a pump to go with it, especially with the World Cup on at the moment, the kid’s now have their own ball.”
Last year, the organisation hit 12.2 million shoe boxes filled globally, but it was at the Maryborough group’s launch that volunteers found out how many shoe boxes have been filled by local participants.
“In the western region of Victoria, which is the area Maryborough is part of, we filled 11,034 boxes. For the whole of Victoria, it was about 33,000, so we have filled about a third just in our region,” Ms Walker said.
“Which is pretty good given we live in the country.
“A lot of our boxes went to Cambodia last year. In previous years, some have also gone to Ukraine, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands ... this is the only gift they may ever receive.
“Many people put in a note that reads ‘Somebody loves you, from Australia’ ... something like that.”
Some local volunteers even knit beanies, skirts or bags that go on to be included in the shoe boxes.
“You can give money to so many different things but this is more of a personal thing. Sometimes I think ‘I’ll get some pencils this week, or maybe a beanie’ ... we both love what we do, we couldn’t imagine not doing it,” Ms Walker said.
The boxes are collected around October, leaving enough time for them to be sent overseas.
“It’s only July, so we have until October to pack a box,” Ms Walker said.
“People can also go to the OCC website and pack a box online, it costs $45, which includes shipping, and it’s an easy way of doing it for some people.”
For any further enquiries or those who wish to join the OCC campaign, they are advised to call Cheryl Howlett 0419 533 370 or Cheryl Walker on 0427 991 698.