Stuff a Stocking Program Ideas for Schools and Churches

Is your group or school thinking about getting involved with Stuff a Stocking? Here is how one group began.

In the fall of 2004, Tacoma Baptist Schools of Tacoma, Washington began a prototype program to involve each grade level, PreK-12, in the SOAR Stuff a Stocking program. Their approach can be used by any school, church, or Sunday School program with multiple age groups.

They began during the months of October and November with each classroom in grades PreK-8 collecting donations to sponsor stockings. SOAR provided individual collection banks for each child. Their collection time kicked off with a “ Stuff a Stocking chapel” showing the SOAR “Stuff a Stocking” power point and giving an explanation of the program. The student and staff donations were collected prior to the school’s Christmas break and forwarded to SOAR.

The high school students participated more directly. They all worked together to send a representative to Russia on the actual stocking distribution team. The first year of participation a school staff member went on SOAR’s Stuff a Stocking trip; the second year four seniors represented the school and traveled with the Stuff a Stocking distribution team! The entire high school rallied behind these four seniors in fund raising, a send-off prayer rally, and prayer support during the trip. Upon their return, another chapel was held to hear the report of the trip. It was exciting for the school to send their own representatives to actually deliver the stockings that all the other grades worked so hard to sponsor!

If your school or group wishes to sponsor stockings and/or send their own representative(s) on the Stuff a Stocking distribution trip, SOAR can provide you with a promotional a CD/DVD, individual coin banks, posters, and brochures to send home with the students describing the Stuff a Stocking program. SOAR staff members are available to support you throughout the entire process and, depending on your geographical location, may be able to send a representative to speak with your group.

Additional Ideas for Your Group

• Establish an actual target date for collecting the money for the stockings and announce it at the kick off chapel
• Have a completion chapel on the collection target date where everyone sees the results of their joint efforts
• Hold competitions between classrooms, age groups, boys vs. girls, etc.
• Hold group fund raisers (spaghetti feed, car wash, etc.)
• Create “thermometer” charts for stocking goals and/or support for your representatives
• Challenge another school or group to see who can do the best to help Stuff a Stocking
• Adopt a Russian orphanage or shelter to use as your goal (SOAR can provide details and statistics on these)
• Have a special prayer team for the project