IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. – It started with Richard and Virginia wanting to clean out their closets. Thousands of boxes later, the couple is still packing items to send overseas.

Through a partnership with Operation Blessing, Richard and Virginia have filled four 40-foot cargo containers with clothes and blankets for shipment overseas.

A little more than a year ago, the duo began sending 40-foot containers filled with clothes to orphanages across the globe.

“We had five kids and a lot of left over clothes,” Virginia said about her adult children who left some of their belongings behind. “We wanted to get rid of some of that stuff.”

A clean sweep of the house produced 42 boxes of clothes and toys. They enjoyed the experience so much they did it again, this time getting friends and neighbors involved. Within a few months, they had collected enough items to fill 300 more boxes.

“We wanted to help make a difference in someone’s life,” Virginia said. “This was one small way to do that.”

The couple, who is in their 70s, owns a small antique shop where they have worked for 40 years. They initially partnered with a friend who enlisted donations from her local church and sent items to Romania.

“We wanted to help make a difference in someone’s life,” Virginia said. “This was one small way to do that.”

When the items collected exceeded what Romania could accept, the couple linked arms with Operation Blessing to send the containers to Ukraine and Peru. The couple has even sent care packages to soldiers fighting in Iraq.

“We collect things from our friends, the church and left over items from rummage sales,” Virginia said. “I never would have dreamed it would have gotten this big.”

Since partnering with OBI, the couple has filled four 40-foot cargo containers with clothes and blankets and they say they don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Operation Blessing is helping to transform the futures of children like these by providing clean water, education assistance, nutritional feeding programs, medical care and more. Please make an online contribution toward OBI's Orphan's Promise today and help us continue to reach those in need.