The Interact Club of the Rotary Club of Mesquite at Beaver Dam High School took time on Tuesday to fill 87 shoebox-size boxes with holiday gifts especially for needy children in third world countries.

The teens spent two days in front of the dollar store in Mesquite collecting donation money and extra dollar gifts people brought and donated.

This program is part of Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Shoebox outreach. The program began in 1993 with providing gift boxes for the children of war-torn Bosnia. Since then, the program has grown in scale with churches of all faiths including even local churches participating.

“Last year three thousand boxes were delivered from our local area churches and the Interact Club to Samaritans Purse for distribution,” said Rotary Club president Linda Gault.

To date more than 188 million boxes have been delivered to 170 different countries to the young recipients. As the President of Samaritans Purse, Franklin Graham, said, “For many kids this is their first gift and tangible expression of God’s love.”

Tuesday afternoon the school desks at Beaver Dam High were piled high with socks, books, toys, crayons, and such. Each teen took a box around to the different desks and filled each box with appropriate gifts for boys or girls within specified age groups.

Lizzie Garlic age 17, and 15-year-old Iliana Rodriquez said they were happy to be helping needy kids.
“Kids just want to help other kids,” Garlick said.

Eileen Loffredo, Rotary councilor to the Beaver Dam Interact Club said, “Being part of the Rotary Interact Club is a way to give back, to do good in the world. Service above self is the Rotary motto.”

Anyone wishing to contribute can read about “How to Pack a Shoebox” at samaritanspurse.org.