A shoebox containing a sparkly notebook, butterfly hair clips, gel pens, and a few other items made Christmas special for Mindy Gruzin, then 9-years-old and living in a large orphanage, Villa Maria, in Baltimore, Maryland. The shoebox, delivered by somebody dressed as Santa, was all she received that year, but she really hadn’t expected to receive anything. Gruzin’ s memory of that day, which made her very happy, inspired her to become involved in Operation Holiday Shoebox this year. Operation Holiday Shoebox sends shoeboxes full of joy to needy children in more than 80 countries, including the United States.
A packing party is set for noon Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Precision Custom Components (PCC) Community Room in the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center on campus To pack a box, participants must sign-up online and can bring a shoebox of their own or fill one that will be at the event. Those who can’t attend the packing party can fill their box and drop it off in the student affairs office by Nov. 21.
A student majoring in psychology with a minor in biology at Penn State York, Gruzin initially planned to just create a box of her own and send it. When she mentioned the organization to her friends, and shared her story, they too wanted to help. A fellow classmate, Juan Sanchez, also a biology major, suggested that the group make it a bigger event and take it campus-wide.