By Lauren Ludwig 
 
More than 700 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 the Pack ‘n’ Stack event. Over the past 28 years, Lee has collected 48,992 boxes for OCC. This year, students packed 950 boxes.  
 
“After experiencing a vision trip with Operation Christmas Child earlier this year, I felt deeply inspired to see Gateway students continue packing as many boxes as possible,” said Dr. Lorinda Roberts, vice president for student success at Lee. “I’m thrilled that our new students rallied together, and because of their efforts, nearly 1,000 children will receive not only fun and practical gifts, but also the life-changing message of Christ’s love and hope.” 
 
According to Roberts, additional boxes collected from the Lee community brought the total number of OCC gifts this year to over 1,200.  
 
This year’s event was opened with a welcome from Lee University President Dr. Phil Cook and first lady Tonya Cook. Roberts then shared about her OCC vision trip experience in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, this past spring. Other festive activities included a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, a festive fit contest, and a Gateway Christmas banner competition. 
 
Susan Sidwell, manager of OCC student partnerships, was also in attendance. She briefly gave encouraging remarks to the students and thanked them for their involvement. 
 
This year’s Lee Pack ‘n’ Stack event was featured on Operation Christmas Child’s Instagram and Facebook pages, which can be found at @operationchristmaschild and OCCshoeboxes, respectively.  
 
For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/.