At Immanuel’s January 12 Community Meal, people will have the opportunity to assemble simple “fishing kits,” to be included in Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes that will be shipped out in November 2017. You may be wondering why.
Pill Bottle Fishing Kit supplies
Fishing is one of the most basic forms of gathering food. It was born from the necessity to survive. High quality sources of essential fats and protein are difficult to come by, and when you are trying to stay alive, fish is often one of the best sources for animal protein.
The fishing kits that we will be making will be compact, lightweight, and inexpensive. By adding a simple local stick or rod to one of these kits, a child can contribute to their family by fishing and providing a quality meal. These fishing kits could help these children feel valued as individuals inside their family unit. In other cultures, it is not uncommon for children as young as 5, or sometimes younger, to go fishing to help provide for their family. While they could use their hands, make a net or use a spear, using a line increases the chances that they will catch a fish and allows them to avoid entering the water. Using a line also significantly reduces energy expenditure. “Reducing energy expenditure” in children is an unlikely goal here in the United States but in developing countries it can be critically important because they need energy in order to survive.
Two Adventure Bible Class students washing used pill bottles to prepare them for use in fishing kits.
These fishing kits, made out of ordinary pill bottles, not only provide a potential source of food to a child and their family, but value and utimately love as well. We invite you to join us on January 12 at 5:00 for the Community Meal. Immanuel will be working on Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes throughout 2017.
Another way to participate in Immanuel’s Operation Christmas Child project is to donate something to include in the shoeboxes – crayons, little notebooks, small toys and more. Items must be new. For a complete list of accepted items, please visit www.immanuelpalatine.org/operation-christmas-child. Donations may be dropped off at Immanuel at any time.
We will be holding another shoebox packing event here at Immanuel next November. For more information, please contact Trephina Bedell at 847-359-1549/tbedell@ilcp.org.
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, a fixture in the Palatine community for nearly 150 years, offers a variety of programs and services to the people of Palatine, as well as weekly worship services. More information on Operation Christmas Child may be found at www.samaritanspurse.org.