Shoebox packers needed to send school supplies overseas

As the school year gets underway, local residents are taking advantage of back-to-school prices to collect school supplies, along with personal care items and fun toys, to pack in shoeboxes to send to children in need around the world. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will collect the gift-filled shoeboxes to deliver to children in more than 100 countries.

For children like Justin Thomas, a shoebox recipient in Southeast Asia whose parents could not afford school supplies, access to these simple items is essential to an education. Thomas remembers the specific day he received a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child and found it filled with toys and – even more exciting – an entire packet of pencils.

For details about obtaining a box to fill, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.  National Collection Week is Nov. 13-20.

Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.