BEECH ISLAND -- Ann Bushoven is helping First Baptist Church of Jackson spread some warm holiday wishes around the world.

Bushoven completed more than 200 knitted caps in youth and adult sizes for the Samaritan's Purse/Operation Christmas Child shoebox ministries. She started working on a round knitting loom back in August, using any basic acrylic yarns she could find and completed 35 to 40 caps a week at approximately two hours per cap.

She turned the caps in to the church in late October, and the packed shoeboxes went out to an Operation Christmas Child distribution center on Wednesday. From there, the international ministry sends the gifts to impoverished children around the world, thanks to the ministry founded by Franklin Graham.

"Most of our congregation is doing shoe boxes," Bushoven said. "Last year, we were so close to 200. And when they announced the program, they said the goal was to get 200 boxes this year. We're well beyond that; we got something like 240 shoe boxes done this year."

The Bushovens moved to Beech Island from New Jersey three years ago, and she has applied her handcrafting skills to the shoebox ministry at First Baptist ever since.

"I've been doing crafts since I was 3 years old. I was taught to knit at age 3 to keep me sitting in a chair," she said. "Back home in New Jersey, I worked teaching crafts to a mentally challenged persons' group, and that's something I miss. We had a beautiful group going up there."

"I made the hats in bright colors. I'd like to see a smile on each kid's face and to warm a cold head," she said. "I grew up in Maine, so I know there's nothing yarn can't do. I've made over 1,200 of these caps over the years, and I've never taken a penny for one."

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.