Letters: More than 35,000 shoebox gifts packed

More than 35,000 shoebox gifts packed

I’m writing to thank Lake Wylie and Clover area residents for their generosity in helping needy children worldwide this Christmas season. Together we were able to collect 35,558 shoeboxes – filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items – for Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. For many children, these shoeboxes will be the first gifts they have ever received.

Although our local drop-off locations here in the Lake Wylie and Clover areas are closed until November this year, shoebox gifts can be packed any time. Operation Christmas Child is a project of the international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, and gifts are received year-round at its North Carolina headquarters, 801 Bamboo Road, Boone, NC 28607.

People also still have plenty of time to get involved through the project’s website, where they can pack a shoebox gift online. To learn more, visit samaritanspurse.org or call 704-583-1463.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in this project. A simple gift, packed with love, can communicate hope and transform the lives of children worldwide.

Area coordinator, Piedmont SC Team, Operation Christmas Child

Nutrition panel tells all

The U.S. Advisory Panel on Dietary Guidelines has finally mustered the courage to recommend that Americans eat less meat and dairy products.

And not just to lower our risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes obesity, but also because it slows the rate of climate changes, with its own devastating consequences.

The 572 page report released on Thursday notes that half of all Americans have preventable diet-related chronic diseases and that two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight. It concludes that a dietary pattern higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods is more health promoting and associated with lesser environmental impact than the current U.S. diet.

The 1977 recommendation that Americans eat less meat by the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs was quashed by the meat industry, and subsequent dietary guidelines panels have been very cautious. The 2010 dietary guidelines panel merely shoved meat and dairy off the official MyPlate icon, representing the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

Though the experts have now told the truth, our family’s health is still up to us. Fortunately, local supermarkets offer a variety of meat and dairy-free options and the internet has lots of advice on vegan recipes and transition tips.

Rock Hill

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Letters: More than 35,000 shoebox gifts packed."