Sunday school class’s bazaar funds effort to send gifts to the world’s neediest children
TEXARKANA, Texas — For the last several years, about 35 women and some of their husbands have gathered at a former antique outlet on College Drive to reach out to children worldwide in a special way.
These women, most of whom belong to the First Baptist Church, Texarkana, Texas’ Golden Circle Sunday School Class, spend about three months packing toys and other children’s gift items, along with school supplies, into Samaritan’s Purse shoe boxes. These boxes are sent to other other countries throughout the world, to kids ranging in ages from infants to at least 14.
This year’s effort marks the largest number of shoe boxes to date, that this class has distributed throughout the world in an effort touch the hearts of children for Christ, as Christmas nears — about 11,138 boxes in all.
“Each year, we strive for a 10 percent increase in the number of boxes we send out from one year
to the next, near Christmas time,” said Nancy Lee, one of the effort’s organizers. “We actually start collecting gift items for this event throughout the year.”
Besides participating in the three months of shoe box packing, Lee, also co-chairs a three-day Christmas Bazaar — a sales effort that started five years ago — whereby the class members sell donated Christmas items to the public. All proceeds go toward helping pay for the $9 postage each box requires to send overseas.
Along with toys and school supplies collected throughout the year, Jane Dawson, the Bazaar’s other co-chair, said the class collects these donated Christmas items, which are then sold to generate the postage funds needed.
“At each annual Christmas Bazaar we’ve had so far, we’ve been able to collect about $18,000 to $19,000 each year, to help pay for the postage,” Dawson said. “We got about three buildings full of Christmas merchandise.”
Ricky Harrington, who has spent the last three years helping with box packing and donation sales, said he got involved when he heard about the Sunday school class’s name.
“When I heard about this class called ‘Golden Circle,’ I had to find out what it was all about — and that’s how I got to be part of this mission,” he said.
Jimmie Taylor, another male volunteer, said he’s been able to help out the last two years.
“My wife was a member of the Golden Circle class when she passed away, so I just decided to take her place and I’ve never regretted it. This is great.”