Box of Joy, a ministry of Cross Catholic Outreach, helps tens of thousands of Americans create a spirit of joy over the holiday season in the lives of more than 70,000 children living in extreme poverty in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Families are encouraged to fill shoeboxes with small gifts like toys; school supplies; essentials like bar soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes; and a few treats like hard candy and coloring books for children in these nations.
There is still time for families and individuals to participate in the Box of Joy ministry. They can pack their Box of Joy and ship it before Christmas to the National Screening Center:
Cross Catholic Outreach – Box of Joy
c/o RMT Logistics
10239 NW 62nd Street
Doral, FL 33178
Or, they can Create-A-Box Online at the Cross Catholic Outreach website, where, for the cost of the gifts and shipping, a Box of Joy will be packed and shipped on their behalf.
Anyone can learn more at CrossCatholic.org/BoxOfJoy or share the cause by texting “spreadjoy” to 71777.
This year, 177 Catholic schools, 249 parishes, and 194 groups, as well as thousands of individuals and families, participated in the Box of Joy ministry.
“While gift-giving is not the meaning of Christmas, it does help us remember the reason for Christmas — the birth of Jesus — and how our Lord received gifts,” said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach. “Serving Jesus through helping these children experience the joy of opening up presents is a beautiful way to show the love of Christ, and to see that love reflected in their happy faces.”
About Cross Catholic Outreach
Based in Florida, Cross Catholic Outreach is an official Catholic nonprofit 501(c)(3) relief and development organization that, since its founding in 2001, has given more than $1 billion in aid to help “the poorest of the poor” in more than three dozen developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and other parts of the world. For more information about Cross Catholic, visit CrossCatholic.org or call 800-914-2420.
