Shoebox may or may not be allowed items

Not Allowed:

• Wearable traditional camouflage

Allowed:

• Pink or bright colored camouflage.

• Camouflage pencils or other non-wearable items are likely fine to include.

• The words “Army,” “Navy,” etc. are also acceptable when not part of a wearable camouflage item or a military-related toy.

Avoid:

• Military games like Battleship® should be avoided.

Not Allowed:

• knives, saws, or razor blades.

Allowed:

• Most standalone tools are OK to include

• Hammers, nails, screwdrivers, etc. are fine to include.

Avoid:

• Tool kits are not recommended for shoebox gifts. Entire tool kits can create importation challenges, which are avoidable by opting to pack other toys instead of tools.

Allowed:

Small fishing and sewing kits are fine to include in shoebox gifts. It is acceptable to upcycle clean label-free bottles, such as prescription bottles, to be used as containers for your kits. Small fishing hooks and sewing pins and needles are all fine to include in your kits.

Allowed:

• Any homemade items with filling MUST have synthetic filling such as plastic beads or pellets.

• A note regarding filling can be included for clarification during processing.

Not Allowed:

• Rice, beans, rocks, aquarium gravel, sand, wood pellets, or any other organic filling are not allowed.

Allowed:

• Store-bought items such as jewelry, picture frames, or other décor that include shells should be fine to include.

Not Allowed:

• Seashells that were collected from nature, even when cleaned and polished, are not allowed in order to comply with customs regulations that prohibit this type of item from entering the country.

Allowed:

• Commercially packaged playdough, slime, or kinetic sand are fine to include in shoebox gifts.

• Packaged synthetic play sand shouldn’t create any problems.

Not Allowed:

• Homemade playdough and slime are not considered appropriate.

Crafts that appear new, are high quality, and align with our Gift Suggestions List are acceptable to include in shoebox gifts.

Bringing shoebox gifts into more than 100 countries each year requires us to depend on Lord’s favor and protection.

Customs officials carefully inspect the contents of shoebox gifts looking for items that match those on our suggested gift list. When officials find items appearing used, low quality, or potentially unsafe, even in one single shoebox, it could cause delays or even block shoebox gifts from entering the country.

Such delays can increase ministry costs and hinder our ability to reach children in need with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Allowed:

• Solid, non-medicated lip balms and deodorants are fine to include in shoebox gifts. Look for red flags such as drug facts with active ingredients of medication, which is not allowed in shoebox gifts.

Not Allowed:

• Liquid lip glosses or gel deodorants should not be packed into shoebox gifts.

Allowed:

• Plain alcohol wipes and adhesive bandages are fine to include in shoebox gifts.

Avoid:

• Bandages that are pre-medicated with antibiotic ointments. The word “antibacterial” does not necessarily indicate whether or not a bandage can be included. Consider packing fun, colorful bandages that the child might be more excited to see in their shoebox gift.

Allowed:

• Toy bugs and snakes, etc. are all fine to include in shoebox gifts.

Avoid:

• Items that might reasonably scare a child when opening the gift such as a frightening mask or grotesque toy.