Two FirstEnergy employees have put good use to their volunteer hours by putting time towards Operation Christmas Child (OCC), a project by Samaritan’s Purse that delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to children in need around the world. The shoeboxes contain items like toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and clothing, and include a gospel message booklet. The project is run by volunteers and funded by donations.

Carrie Ann Carpenter, Senior Administrative Assistant, is a year-round volunteer with Operation Christmas Child. In 2023, Carrie Ann and her family packed 524 shoeboxes. Carrie Ann has been packing shoeboxes for six years and to date she has packed a total of 1,329 shoeboxes.

Michele Kradel, Distribution Instructor, has been the Drop Off Team Leader for the past several years at Chicora Alliance Church – a drop-off location for packed shoeboxes which are sometimes the only gift the children receive.

OCC just celebrated 30 years of packing shoeboxes. In those 30 years, more than 209 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.