BOONE, N.C. — Thousands of shoeboxes are heading out of Boone and around the world this holiday season. It's part of Operation Christmas Child, and it's been going on for decades now.

What You Need To Know

  • Operation Christmas Child is sending boxes around the world

  • The boxes are being checked and packed at the Boone packaging plant

  • Some boxes are headed to Ukraine
  • One man travels to Boone with his family just to volunteer

“We’re processing for several countries this year. To Benin, Georgia, Ghana, Liberia, South Africa,” Chip Fay said. 

It’s something he said he travels to the western North Carolina town to do every year. He lives in Bristol, Tennessee, but for the past 10 years, he’s been in Boone packing away.

“It’s a project to demonstrate God’s love for children in need through items filled in shoeboxes,” Fay said.

He said he and his family have been taking part for years.

“We have been packing shoeboxes for about 20 years, 15, something like that. My parents started doing it and they were volunteering,” Fay explained.

These days, Chip’s parents volunteer in Chicago, so it’s him, his wife and their kids moving boxes. They pack some themselves every year with personal items.

“The thing that has been really fun for me is making fishing kits, so we do fishing kits. My wife will knit a lot of things and make some knitted things,” Fay said.

This year he worked in the shopping section of the facility. He said it’s fun to see the different items because each item has a plan, a plan he doesn’t yet know.

“It’s a chance to spread this message throughout the world in a way that’s more personal than a lot of other things. A lot of the places these boxes are going, these might be the only gift that they ever get,” Fay said.

This year, they have already hit a goal of a quarter of a million boxes. They hope to send 780,000 for the season.

“To share that community has been really amazing,” Fay said.