Christina Starr

Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Appeal, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary

Christina has been a co-ordinator for the Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Appeal (OCC) in North Tipperary for the past 8 years. OCC sends 7,000 boxes annually from children in Ireland to children in Eastern Europe. As part of Christina’s voluntary duties she gathers toys, clothes, games, writing materials and toiletries to fit in these shoeboxes. She meets with another coordinator in early September to organise sub-committees for different duties. In turn those sub-committees visit schools, clubs, ladies groups and churches, giving talks and explaining what OCC is about. Christina also organises a thanksgiving mass in October, which encourages the children of the parish to become involved and bring shoeboxes to the church. Once all of the promotional work is completed, she and the volunteers arrange for the completed boxes to be collected and then stored in a warehouse. At this point the team meets four evenings a week to check the boxes to make sure that all the items are presentable, intact and safe for children. On final collection night a truck comes to collect the boxes and the whole volunteer team celebrates their role in making Christmas special for the children who will receive the boxes. Four years ago Christina had the opportunity to go to Vukovar in Croatia to personally deliver some boxes. It was an experience that she found incredibly difficult but memorable and has helped her to positively motivate her team every successive year.

“I am humbled to be nominated for this prestigious award. My nine years of involvement in sending Christmas Shoeboxes filled with loving gifts to children in Eastern Europe has enriched my life immensely. It has given me back the true meaning of Christmas. I want to thank all our team in the Nenagh area, in particular John O’Brien who set it up and also Head Office in Dublin. My husband John who is a great help and support to me and the origination, and now my very good friend Joannes who has been with me since it started, whom I just couldn’t be without, we are like Thelma and Louise.” – Christina

Photograph by Maureen McDonnell