We'd love your help as we need volunteers year round!

Our busiest time is September through the end of November
This is when you could help us to pack a gift-filled shoe box, collect & deliver boxes, or join us in the our processing centres where all the gift filled shoe boxes are prepared for their journey to children in our neighbouring countries.

Collect & Deliver Shoe Boxes
Get your church, school or other community groups involved. It's easy!
See “Great ways to encourage others to be involved". We suggest you collect your group's shoe boxes during October each year, so that you can deliver them to your local processing centre no later than the second week in November.

Process Shoe Boxes
After the shoe boxes are collected, they are sent to processing centres which look and feel like a Christmas workshop. The warehouses are piled high with gifts, and it's a warm, cheerful atmosphere as volunteers give the boxes their finishing touches, ready for their journey overseas. Come on your own, or bring a carload of friends!

Each year, thousands of volunteers across Australia and New Zealand give their efforts and time in the Operation Christmas Child processing centres. In Australia, we have processing centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. In New Zealand we have processing centres in Auckland and Christchurch. In each proccessing centre, donations are collected from the shoe boxes and each box is inspected by trained volunteers. Items that might leak, break, melt, freeze, scare, or harm a child are removed; these are sold as fundraisers to help offset the costs of the program. Extra toys, clothing and treats are added in their place. The shoe boxes are then sorted into age and gender categories, packed into cartons, labeled, loaded into trucks and sea containers, and shipped around the world.

We would love your help from early October to early December to help process shoe boxes. Anyone aged 15 and over is welcome! Please contact us or call your local State Manager to let them know you're coming.

From early February to mid December, you can help with:

Administration and office work, like mailing out brochures and pre-printed shoe boxes.
Creative work:

• Can you knit? We have people knitting teddy bears, finger puppets, and other cuddly toys, and would love your help!
• Can you sew? We have volunteers who sew simple clothing and carry-bags, and would welcome you!
• Are you good at crafting things? We have men and women making skipping ropes, wooden toys and blackboards, and would welcome more!

Warehouse work: could you help man-handle cartons? Can you operate a forklift?

Whatever your age, you can help! Get together with us or your friends to help sew, knit, or pack bags of soap. If you have other ideas, let us know!

Whatever your special gifts are, you can be involved in Operation Christmas Child…and bring hope and joy to a child somewhere in the world.  

Need more information?

In Australia, call 1800 684 300.
In New Zealand, call 0800 684 300.
Or click here to contact us