As the Thanksgiving season approaches, many families and children are giving thanks and giving back to children in need around the world through Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts for the Samaritan’s Purse project.
Volunteers will collect shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 14 to 21.
Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts – filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys – to children worldwide since 1993. Anyone can pack a shoebox! In 2022, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 11 million children.
Individuals, families, and groups still have time to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage.
“This season, children around the world need a tangible reminder that there is hope and that God loves them,” Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham said. “Through these shoebox gifts packed with special items, children also receive the opportunity to hear about the eternal hope found in Jesus Christ.”
Participants can find the nearest drop-off location and hours of operation as they make plans to drop off their shoebox gifts. The online lookup tool is searchable by city or ZIP code. Signs at each location will identify the drop-off.
Locally, drop off locations include:
- Fishers: Grace Church, 12450 Olio Road
- Westfield: CrossRoads Church at Westfield, 19201 Grassy Branch Road
- Tipton: Rock Prairie Church, 421 Ash St.
About Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 198 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Operation Christmas Child will collect its 200 millionth shoebox!