Actor David Henrie is the new spokesperson for Cross Catholic Outreach’s “Box of Joy” initiative, a method that he stated has enriched his personal family’s Advent time and brought pleasure to young children in developing countries.

“Box of Joy is a shoebox-sized package that you fill with toys, outfits, college materials and other treasured things or a box of those people things sponsored by a donation and packed by Cross Catholic Outreach’s ministry crew,” says Cross Catholic Outreach’s site about the method showcasing the Staff Joy ministry that commenced in 2014.

In addition to presents, “each baby who gets a Box of Joy also gets a rosary and a booklet in their possess language that tells The Tale of Jesus,” reported Cross Catholic Outreach.

“Box of Joy presents hope to small children in require. Each present represents Christ’s like and may well be the only Christmas gift they acquire,” the team included. 

Henrie is most effective recognised for the job of Justin Russo in the Television set show “Wizards of Waverly Place.”

In an interview, he advised Fox News Digital that he to start with bought into contact with Cross Catholic Outreach about the summer — and was promptly drawn to Box of Joy. 

“It actually has a smooth location in my coronary heart,” reported Henrie, a father of 3 children who now life in Idaho. 

“It instantaneously brought to mind the fact that I want to train my children how to give about Christmas and just in general, have a spirit of recognizing the is effective of mercy in other folks and carrying out it.” 

Henrie reported he preferred that the course of action of finding out gifts could include his young children — a little something they could do collectively. 

He significantly preferred “the notion of supplying somebody an encounter all over accomplishing great as opposed to just teaching them,” declaring that this was “a strong way to construct behaviors.”

“It’s anything I could do with [the children] and give them an encounter and have enjoyment with it at the very same time,” Henrie mentioned.

“We went to the toy retailer to decide on out their most loved toys and packed the boxes.”

After men and women assemble a box, they can consider it to a drop-off location, where by it will be vetted just before it’s sent to a youngster in require, claimed Henrie. 

Individuals can also donate to Box of Joy if they do not wish to assemble a box by themselves. 

In 2022, nearly 119,000 packing containers had been sent to small children in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras and Malawi, reported Cross Catholic Outreach, which is primarily based in Boca Raton, Florida. 

Henrie just lately traveled to the Dominican Republic to supply presents to kids in man or woman. 

He reported he found the experience of constructing and delivering a Box of Pleasure to be “incredibly fruitful” for his loved ones — in approaches he did not automatically assume. 

“My young ones did not know that [some] other little ones really don’t get items on Xmas,” he mentioned. 

His eldest daughter, Pia, age 4, does not but have a principle of poverty or the situations in acquiring international locations, explained Henrie. 

“As little ones, it is even additional of a revelation when they understand there are little ones who don’t have gifts,” reported Henrie.

“My daughter now prays for the small female which is [otherwise] not heading to get a reward. She doesn’t know who’s finding her Box of Joy — but she knows that [a] girl is not receiving a reward.”

“So now, at evening, when we pray, she prays for the ‘girl with no presents,’” said Henrie.

“She is familiar with there is a woman out there with no presents” that she needs to pray for, he mentioned.

He hopes this lesson in kindness and charity, he said, will make an effect on his daughter as she grows up, and that she’ll “have a coronary heart for those people in have to have.”

“It’s opened up dialogue in a really natural and wholesome way,” he mentioned.

The mission of Cross Catholic Outreach is “to mobilize the worldwide Catholic Church to renovate the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ,” states its web site.