Samaritan's Purse asks residents to plan ahead for Operation Christmas Child
Aug. 4—Operation Christmas Child is still months away, but back-to-school sales are the perfect time to start gathering up school supplies for the annual charity drive.
The ask from Samaritan's Purse is simple: Pack a shoebox with small gifts from hygiene items to clothing, school supplies and toys. Every year, local churches and businesses collect the gift-filled shoeboxes, and Samaritan's Purse picks them up and delivers them to children in more than 100 countries.
"As the school year approaches, shoebox packers are making use of back-to-school prices to purchase gifts and essential items for children in need around the world," said Lizette Miller, spokeswoman for Samaritan's Purse.
Samaritan's Purse collected over 9.3 million shoebox gifts in 2022, according to the organization. Another 1.3 million came from other nations, adding up to 10.6 million in total.
"For many children, access to these simple items is essential to an education," she added. "This was the case for Justin Thomas, a shoebox recipient in Southeast Asia whose parents could not afford the supplies needed for school. Thomas remembers the specific day he received a gift-filled shoebox from Operation Christmas Child and found it filled with toys and most exciting to him — school supplies."
The last Operation Christmas Child marked a major milestone — the 200 millionth shoebox, which was delivered to a girl in Ukraine, Casey Goodwin, another spokesperson for Samaritan's Purse, told The News in January.
"Each gift-filled shoebox is a tangible expression of God's love, and often the first gift these children have ever received," Goodwin said. "Through the generosity of donors since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes in more than 170 countries and territories."
This year, shoebox collection week is Nov. 13-20.
A shoebox can be built online at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline anytime of year, Miller said.
