The Gift Box Program:

1
The Gift Box Program

• How-To-Do-It

2
What?

• What is the ONE Spirit Gift Box Program?
• Goal Send Christmas gift boxes to Lakota Indian
  children at Pine Ridge Reservation, SD
• Each year we send more gifts, but there are 1500
  children on this reservation
• We are starting with the 400 or so Head Start
  children
• If people everywhere act together, we can make it
  happen

3
Where?

• Pine Ridge Reservation
• Now home of Lakota Sioux Indians, in South Dakota
  near Nebraska border
• Very desolate and isolated place
• Desperately poverty-stricken (second poorest
  region of world, after Haiti )
• Indian people there are invisible to rest of
  society, get very little attention
• Low life expectancy, poor health, poor housing

4
Why?

• Why participate in the Gift Box Program?
• For most children, this will be the ONLY
  Christmas gift they get (too sad to contemplate)!
• How better to celebrate the birth of Christ than
  to help a young Indian child at Christmas
• Its a humanitarian act for children who are
  innocent victims of poor economic and social
  circumstances

5
How?

• How can you participate in the Gift Box Program?
• Thats what the rest of this presentation is
  about!

6
Group Activities to Make it Happen

• We suggest doing all these things as group
  activities
• Its more fun
• Its a better feeling of participation
• Be sure to include young people (have a big
  Party with a Purpose at your church)

7
Supplies

• Buy these at the discount store where you get the
  gift items
• Colored tissue paper to line the plastic boxes
• Marking pens, colorful stickers, yarn to decorate
  boxes
• Christmas gift labels, pens to write labels
• Large rubber bands to secure the box lids
• Scissors or other paper cutters
• Scotch tape

8
Obtaining Gift Items

• Go as a group to your favorite department,
  discount store (e.g., Dollar Tree, Big Lots)
• Can ask people in your group to bring gift items,
  too
• Especially good for children, to make them feel
  they are contributing a gift
• Sometimes people want to knit hats, gloves

9
Obtaining Gift Items

• We suggest spending about 13 - 15 per box
• Fills a box with 13 to 15 items from Dollar Tree
  (or similar store)
• Please resist temptation to spend more
• We know you want to make your package special for
  a child, but . . .
• Its better if they are about the same when they
  open them together, to avoid bad feelings
• Better to send more packages

10
Gift Items Examples

• Gifts are for children ages 3 - 5
• Kinds of gift items to include
• Candy, gum (kids need some fun)
• Toothbrush, toothpaste (to clean off the candy?)
• Books and other educational items (especially
  those that help them learn reading or arithmetic)
  
• Crayons, pens, pencils, water colors, coloring
  books
• Toys, games (nothing requiring batteries, no toy
  guns)
• Hats, gloves, scarves, sox, winter comfort items
• Small stuffed animals (a childs friend)

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Gift Items Examples
12
Constraint on Wrapping Gift Boxes

• Gift boxes must be inspected for inappropriate or
  potentially harmful gifts
• Inspection must be done at receiving end, at the
  reservation
• Therefore, cannot wrap boxes usual way
• Must be easily opened for inspection
• If lid cannot be removed, they will have to
  unwrap the box

13
Gift Boxes

• You can use donated cardboard shoe boxes
• Ask everyone in your group to bring in empty shoe
  boxes, but limit it to the standard shoe-box
  size, not the oversized boxes for boots, etc.
• However, the cardboard boxes are much more
  difficult to wrap (because lid must be wrapped
  separately)

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Gift Boxes

• We found it practical to buy large number of
  shoe-box-size plastic boxes
• Gives a uniformity that helps avoid feeling by
  children that someone else got a bigger box
• Much easier to wrap (just line with tissue paper)
• E.g., Sterilite brand available for about 1
• The box is a gift itself can be used to store
  toys, etc. throughout the year

15
Distribution of Gifts to Boxes

• This works especially well as a large group
  project
• Sort the gift items by type on table tops around
  the room
• Each person in group
• Picks up a gift box from the head table
• Lines it with colored tissue paper
• Carries it around the tables, fills box with
  representative selection of 12-15 gift items

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Wrapping, Labeling, Securing, and Decorating Boxes

• Next the person takes the box to the finishing
  table where they
• Add a label to the lid identifying whether the
  box is for a boy, a girl, or either
• If appropriate, add an age range for the
  recipient
• Decorate the outside of the box, if desired, with
  marking pens, colored stickers, yarn, etc.
• Cut our parts of old Christmas cards and glue on
• You can make it as simple or as fancy as you like
• Secure the lid with large rubber bands

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Wrapping, Labeling, Securing, Decorating Boxes -
Example
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Packing for Shipping

• Use shipping boxes as large as possible
• Our experience UPS or FedEx works better and is
  cheaper than the U.S.P.S.
• The larger the shipping box, the cheaper the
  shipping
• For UPS not larger than 70 lbs., 130 inches
  girth plus length

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Shipping

• Ship by December 1
• Contact Marcia McMorrow for shipping address
  information
• Email to freemar_at_localnet.com or
• Call 207/674-3258
• Get a confirmation and tracking number

20
Follow Up

• It is very important to the Head Start program to
  know how much is being spent (for matching of
  federal funds)
• So, please send your best estimate of your total
  spent on boxes, contents, and shipping to
• Marcia McMorrow freemar_at_localnet.com

21
Other Ways to Help

• If you cant send a gift box, send a donation
• A check for 25 will cover gift box, shipping
• Make check out to O.N.E./ONE Spirit
• Add Gift box to memo line
• Send to
• ONE Spirit Gift Box Program
• P.O. Box 2595
• Chesterfield, VA 23832

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Other Ways to Help

• Help with your prayers, ideas, and suggestions
• Recruit other local groups to work with you
• Show them this presentation
• Explain the need and convince others to
  contribute gift boxes

23
Need Help Getting Started?

• Any questions about how to start up a Gift Box
  Program of your own?
• Please feel free to contact us at
• Marcia McMorrow freemar_at_localnet.com
• Phyllis Rawlings phizless_at_hotmail.com
• Rex Hartson rex.hartson_at_gmail.com
• Sandy Birch birch_at_vt.edu

24
Thank You!!

• Thank you for considering this worthwhile project
• This is a chance to make a difference
• Your heart will smile, an Indian child will
  smile, and God will smile!