Operation Christmas Child shoebox project celebrates 30 years
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Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 209 million shoebox gifts to children across the world.
A project of Samaritan’s Purse, OCC collects school supplies, toys and personal care items to pack in shoeboxes and send to children in need in more than 100 countries. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
This year, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 11 million children worldwide. The effort will culminate with National Collection Week November 13-20, when Samaritan’s Purse will gather the gift-filled shoeboxes at more than 4,000 drop-off locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Anyone can pack a shoebox. Individuals, families, churches and groups fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and toys, such as dolls or soccer balls. To learn how to pack a shoebox and to view gift suggestions, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Drop-off locations can be found at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/.
