Nearly 5,000 drop-off locations across America are now accepting gift-filled shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child, an annual effort to ensure children of all ages and all settings are able to have something to open this holiday season.
The call for donations is part of “National Collection Week,” which goes from Nov. 17 through Nov. 23. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered over 232 million shoeboxes full of school supplies, toys, and hygiene items to children across 170 countries and territories. This year’s goal is to hand out at least 12.6 million shoeboxes globally with target zones including areas impacted by poverty, war, disaster, and famine.
“Samaritan’s Purse works around the world to help people in need, but it’s not about good works – it’s about the gospel,” said Franklin Graham, president of the Christian-based nonprofit. “Please prayerfully consider packing a shoebox this year with Operation Christmas Child. These simple gifts open the door for us to share the true meaning of Christmas.”
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Operation Christmas Child partners with local churches across the planet to deliver the gifts. In Mississippi, dozens of churches and other organizations will have their doors open all week to accept packed boxes. Drop-off locations can be found here.
For those who want to help out this holiday season through Operation Christmas Child, a step-by-step guide on how to pack a box can be found here. For those who may not have the time but still want to contribute, a $10 donation can be made online and will result in one shoebox being packed. Both ways include a tracking label, allowing donors to see where their boxes end up.