CHICO — Twin sisters Leabele McLeod and Laralea McLaughlin began packing gift boxes for Operation Christmas Child 10 years ago while living in Santa Clarita.
The majority of donors pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child, a program that donates shoeboxes with items for kids like school supplies and toys, between October to November every year. But the two sisters work year-round to put together boxes for the three age groups of children that receive gifts around the world.
After living in Chico together for two years, the sisters are still at it.
McLeod first got started helping with the program through her church in Southern California “for about 10 years.” Then her sister moved in.
“Our husbands died within eight months of each other, and so Leabele asked if I would come live with her,” McLaughlin said.
Eventually, the two moved to Chico to be closer to their grown children. McLaughlin soon joined her sister in donating boxes of items to children in other countries.
The sisters’ interest in philanthropy began in childhood. Born and raised in Illinois, the sisters remembered one Christmas Eve at the age of 8, when a box of food from the Salvation Army arrived at their house just in time for dinner.
Seeing that donation of food to their family, McLeod said, was part of what moved her to start giving back to impact other childrens’ lives at Christmas.
Before the program began, the sisters would contribute to Toys for Tots and Salvation Army, but now focus on their donations to Operation Christmas Child. Part of their interest comes from a love of shopping — “finding the best deal we can,” McLeod said — which helps them find lots of items to donate, from socks and school supplies to dolls. John Mattera of Operation Christmas Child said they are now the biggest donors to the program in Butte County.
This year, they put together 125 shoe boxes in the living room of their home, using the help of some high school students to pack boxes. And the two plan to keep doing it every year.
“We always love to help,” McLeod said. “We shop all year long! … It isn’t very time-consuming for being a worthwhile thing to do.”