Over 800 Lee University freshmen and peer leaders, along with their Gateway class instructors and other volunteers, participated in the annual Pack ‘n’ Stack party for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child (OCC), which aims to fill as many shoebox-sized boxes as possible with Christmas gifts to be distributed to children in need around the world. 

During the event, students packed shoeboxes filled with items that they purchased in the weeks leading up to Pack ‘n’ Stack. Over the past 27 years, Lee has collected over 48,042 boxes for OCC. This year, students packed 805 boxes. 

“We want our students to know that it’s more than a box,” said Dr. Lorinda Roberts, vice president for Student Success at Lee. “When we pack a simple shoebox, we are bringing a child smiles, hope, and good news.” 

Following an opening prayer by Wes Lutes, Lee’s campus pastor and director of spiritual life, Roberts spoke to the students on the history and mission of OCC. Students also heard from Basit Hammad, about how receiving his own shoebox as a child impacted his life. 

Hammad spoke at a chapel service during the week of Pack ‘n’ Stack, sharing his family’s struggles with poverty, discrimination, and religious persecution. Growing up, Hammad felt rejected by everyone around him, but his parents encouraged him to stand firm in his faith. When he received an OCC shoebox at Sunday School, he was surprised to find an illustrated picture book Bible. The gift inspired him into missions, and he is currently training to be a ministry pilot so he can share the gospel with communities that are difficult to reach. 

“We are thankful to partner with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child in order to expand our reach of sharing the gospel around the world,” said Roberts. 

Not only has Lee seen the effect of OCC around the world, but also in the university’s own student body. Markhena Robins, a junior human development major with a business emphasis, received her own shoebox as a child, which led to the salvation of her and her family. Years later, she now serves as a peer leader for one of Lee’s Gateway classes. 

“As a child living in poverty, receiving an OCC box filled with toys was a moment that I will never forget,” said Robins. “That box wasn’t just filled with things—it was filled with love and possibility. I knew that packing those boxes now was going to be deeply meaningful for me, a way to share the same sense of joy and hope that I once felt. Each item was a message to a child who might feel invisible or forgotten. Giving back in this way felt like I was extending a hand to those who needed it most, continuing the cycle of kindness and compassion that once made such a difference in my life.” 

In March 2025, Roberts will join the OCC Vision Trip to pass out shoeboxes to children in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

In addition to the November 5 event hosted by the Office of First Year Programs, the Student Engagement Office plans to hold a second event for students who want to pack more shoeboxes for OCC later this month. 

For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/.