To participate in the Operation Christmas Child shoe box fundraiser, individuals, families, and groups are being asked to pack shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items plus personal notes and photos, to be delivered to children in need around the world.
Operation Christmas Child is an annual initiative of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization that works in more than 100 countries.
Last year, Canadians filled more than 415,000 shoe boxes with gifts for struggling children in West Africa, Central America, Ukraine and Philippines. In a world weighed down with inflation and the effects of war, children need joy more than ever.
In Prince George, the shoe box drop-off is at Westside Family Fellowship, 3791 Highway 16W, on Nov. 16 and 17 from 4 to 8 p.m., Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. In Vanderhoof, donations can be dropped of at Vanderhoof Christian Fellowship, 263 Vanderview Drive, from Nov. 13 to 16 from 3:15 to 5 p.m. and Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Thanks to all the items that Canadians put in their shoe boxes and the $10-per-box they donate to cover shipping and other program costs, Samaritan’s Purse is able to deliver the boxes to children around the world living in the midst of poverty, disease, war, and natural disaster.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed more than 200 million shoe box gifts in more than 100 countries.
Each gift-filled shoe box packed, donated, and delivered to one of hundreds of drop-off locations throughout Canada will make a long journey into the arms of a child in need. Canadians can also pack boxes online at PackABox.ca.
Canadians can order free shoe boxes and promotional materials. Deadline is Oct. 27. To order and for more information visit www.SamaritansPurse.ca/OCC.
