Horse float packed with Christmas in a shoebox surprise

You wouldn’t normally expect to see a horse float filled with shoeboxes outside a church, but a group of volunteers were recently seen loading up a float with more than 600 boxes.

Fifteen volunteers placed 637 shoeboxes, containing gifts, including clothes and toys, on the float outside the Lighthouse Church for Operation Christmas Child.

The initiative, run by international relief organisation Samaritan’s Purse, has been running for several years in Geraldton and involves hundreds of people providing gifts for children in need.

Mid West co-ordinator Fiona Davidson said the project gave everyday people the chance to make a difference.

“These kids have never received presents,” she said.

“I went to Vietnam in 2012 to give out boxes and to see their faces when they open the boxes and realise that’s just for them — they’re so excited and thankful.

“It’s amazing.”

The shoeboxes will be transported to Perth before they are sent to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, where they’ll be handed out to children.

Several local schools were involved in Operation Christmas Child, which Ms Davidson said was a great way to teach children to think of others.

“It teaches kids there are people a lot less fortunate than them,” she said.

“It teaches them to be generous. In our society, kids don’t appreciate what they have.”

Ms Davidson is already preparing for next year’s event, creating a Facebook group for those interested in helping out.