Unique Shoebox Item: A Dress Tie

Hello Packers!

     Well, today is the last day of drop off week and now we can all settle down for about five minutes then start thinking about what to put in our next boxes! I'm already looking over all the internet for ideas as well as checking out my nearby 99 cent stores. Now, something that I saw that turned a lightbulb on in my head was the idea of putting a dress tie in my boxes. 

Why a Tie?

     Someone had told me that when a child is sent to church or they are sent to an area where there are a lot of white people, their parents will dress them up to their "Sunday Best" so they look incredibly presentable to the foreigners as well as the church. Some boys will arrive in polo shirts at the distributions and what clicked in my head was what a tie could stand for. I know that on tie-day at my old middle school, I felt quite polished and professional wearing a tie around my neck although I'm a girl. So then I started to think about the people in the United States, how there are people out there who don't know how to wear ties or they want to wear a tie but just don't know how. 

     People in the US use ties to look presentable when they are going into churches, group functions, interviews and special occasions. It isn't that different around the world and remember packers, these kids will become adults and will be trying to find jobs, going to churches (hopefully), might be getting married and a tie really makes a person feel like they are meeting some of the requirements of the situation. My thought on the matter is that the tie I put in his box...might be the tie he wears to his first job interview, might be the tie he wears to his wedding day, might be the tie he wears every Sunday when he goes in to church or maybe this tie will help his daddy feel confident in his next job interview and make him feel confident when he heads into church with his family. 

Multiple Uses

     A tie is pretty stable in its fabric and this tie could be used in multiple occasions. If the child doesn't wear it, he can use it to tie up a wound for the time being, he can use it to tie up a portion of his hut that is falling apart, use it as a head band to block out the sweat, as a handle for a bag...there are many uses for the tie other than for fashion purposes.

     

     So, while you are looking for things for your boxes, think about the boys and if you come across a tie that just automatically speaks to you and says "Yes, put me in your box", I pray you buy it and send it with your box. It's a simple thing, a tie, but the meaning and purpose of it is is something more than any person could understand.