DAVIDSON—A toothbrush may not seem like much, but for children who don’t have one of their own, it’s a great gift.

It means they don’t have to share one.

From Oct. 3 to 10, Bonnie Jean Low and Dave and Colleen Spelliscy had the chance to witness the joy the gift of a toothbrush, or a pencil and paper bring to children who have nothing.

They recently returned home to Davidson from The Gambia, a small West African country, where they distributed 1,891 shoeboxes on behalf of Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child.

Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization that puts into practice the Bible story of the Good Samaritan. It provides aid to hurting people in need due to war, poverty, disaster, famine, disease and persecution, regardless of race, religion, culture, gender and socio-economic standing.

Operation Christmas Child is a hands-on project that brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoeboxes packed by Canadians. It is one way to remind children suffering as a result of war, poverty, famine, disease, and disaster that they are loved and not forgotten.

The shoeboxes are collected from across Canada and are filled with toys, hygiene items and school supplies.

It doesn’t seem like much, but the Spelliscies and Low can attest to the joy and excitement the shoeboxes bring to their recipients.

Dave says people have a sense of how spoiled and lucky children in North American culture are, but distributing shoeboxes to children who truly have and expect nothing is really an eye-opener.

“You go there (Africa) and what our kids take for granted, they couldn’t even imagine,” Dave says.

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