Seasonal Volunteering Opportunities
There are many seasonal ways to get further involved with Operation Christmas Child, from volunteering to check shoebox gifts at a processing centre, to being part of the logistics team in your local area, or one of the hundreds of drivers who pick up shoeboxes on our behalf.
Seasonal Roles
Processing Centre Volunteer
November, December and January
A vital part of Operation Christmas Child takes place behind the scenes in the immediate weeks after National Collection Week. During this period thousands of generous supporters donate their time to manually check hundreds of thousands of shoeboxes for safety and customs compliance before they are sent to children in need around the world. Our National Ministry Centre volunteers also pack our Shoebox Online gifts.
Processing Centre Host
November, December and January
Processing Centre Hosts should have great people skills and be passionate about the work of Operation Christmas Child.
They work alongside the Processing Centre Manager to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all Processing Centre Volunteers.
Leading on: ensuring all areas of processing are covered, assigning volunteers to different areas when necessary; ensuring accurate processing logs; and, generally supporting the volunteers by answering questions and providing a positive experience.
Processing Centre Warehouse Operative
November, December and January + ad hoc
We need able-bodied volunteers whom we can train to unload cartons of shoeboxes from vans during shoebox processing weeks and safely operate pallet trucks to move cartons and equipment around the warehouse.
This is a physical role, and so volunteers should feel comfortable moving, lifting and carrying cartons (weighing around 15kg each). Full training will be provided.
This support is also required on an ad-hoc basis at other times in the year, for example to support the packing and export of crisis relief supplies when international disasters strike.
Collections Coordinator
November and December
This role involves working in a designated area to communicate with, support, and schedule shoebox collections from Drop-off Locations.
Coordinators are encouraged to recruit and manage their team of drivers to schedule collections in National Collection Week and two weeks beyond, with the support of the Operations and Logistics department.
Driver
National Collection Week + 2 Weeks
During the weeks surrounding National Collection Week, volunteer drivers collect boxes from schools, churches and businesses and drop them into Processing Centres or storage sites, using their own or vehicle or a hired van or lorry. Full training and support will be provided for the role.
We do carton our shoeboxes, so drivers should feel comfortable lifting and carrying. Manual handling guidance is given to all drivers to ensure this role is conducted safely.
You can also find out more about other volunteer roles below:
Year-round Connect Volunteering
The Worldwide Volunteer Network
