As part of AYMES's Give Back Days campaign, Financial Controller, Leila Hope, spent a day this month volunteering for Samaritan's Purse charity, helping with its "Operation Christmas Child" programme.
The Operation Christmas Child campaign gathers volunteers from across the country, who help to prepare and distribute shoebox gifts that are sent out to children across the world for Christmas. Each shoebox has a value of £25 and has been generously donated to the charity and used to bring a bit of joy to children who would otherwise miss out.
Leila attended the centre in Burnley, Lancashire, and had a super day. She said: "I found the day really uplifting. It was great to see how the charity works behind closed doors and to see first-hand the gift-boxes that will be sent across the world. Knowing that each and every box will bring a smile to child's face, was hugely rewarding."
On the day, Leila was stationed at a Christmas box packing line, where she was tasked with checking boxes and the donations within them, removing any prohibited or unsuitable items and ensuring they were assigned to the right age group. She also repacked boxes to get them ready to be sent off to children in Moldova.
Leila is pictured below on the left. Well done Leila!
Find out more about Operation Christmas Child here:
https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child
