Participating in philanthropic efforts as a team has been and continues to be incredibly fulfilling for all of us here at Stratos. While we enjoy giving back year round, the impact of our efforts deepens around the holidays.

Each November, Stratos team members collect items and fill festive shoe boxes with gifts that will go to children in need. Our act of service is for a project called Operation Christmas Child that is backed by Samaritan’s Purse. The global nonprofit’s mission is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to young people by providing a shoe box packed with essential items, toys and school supplies.

Churches, individuals and organizations (like Stratos!) volunteer to fill their desired number of boxes. Each adoptee is responsible for purchasing items, packing the boxes and delivering them to a drop-off location. The entire process is a group effort for Stratos. We all gather to identify gifts that would be good fits based on the kids’ ages, needs and interests. Items are purchased by Stratos as an organization, and team members buy items, too, if they wish.

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“Filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child has become a tradition at Stratos and one I look forward to every year,” Stratos Financial Administrator Kim Gannon said. “I especially enjoy watching how our Stratos family thoughtfully deliberates about what items should go into each box. It is heartwarming for all of us to select that special ‘wow’ item to place in each box knowing it will be cherished.”

Participating in volunteer work like Operation Christmas Child not only blesses the recipients, but also gives our team a chance to spend quality time together. Packing the shoe boxes strengthens camaraderie, sets the tone for ever-important company culture and allows us to live out one of our core values – to honor God in all we do.

Initiated through personal interactions with Operation Christmas Child, Stratos began the tradition of participating in 2018. Since Operation Christmas Child’s inception, there have been more than 198 million shoe boxes given to children all over the world and Stratos is dedicated to making that number grow for years to come. To learn more about how you can participate in Operation Christmas Child in the future, click here.

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