Children in more than 170 countries around the globe will be blessed by the generosity of Logan County residents and those around the country as a result of this year’s Operation Christmas Child.
Shoebox gifts filled with toys, personal care items, and school supplies were donated by area residents and churches members, and delivered to the local drop site, Calvary Baptist Church, 1140 Rush Ave., during National Collection Week.
A total of 2,325 shoebox gifts were dropped off at Calvary Baptist Church during this year’s collection, which ran from Nov. 17-24, site coordinator Anita Kerns reports.
Then earlier this week on Monday, Nov. 24, volunteers from Calvary Baptist Church loaded the shoebox gifts into 148 large cartons and delivered them to the WTLW TV-44 station central collection site in Lima, Ohio.
From Lima, semi-loads full of these special gifts are now en route to the Chicago Distribution Center for processing and distribution to children around the world, just in time for Christmas, Kerns noted.
The project of Samaritan’s Purse partners with local churches and volunteers across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered 232 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect shoeboxes throughout Ohio to help with the global goal to reach another 12 million children.
“Every shoebox gift is an opportunity to tell a boy or girl that God loves them. That’s why we do what we do,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “I’m thankful for every single person who packs a shoebox because these simple gifts open the door for the Gospel.”
For individuals who purchased their shoebox label online, they have the opportunity to track their shoebox and learn of its final destination in the upcoming weeks. Visit www.samaritanspurse.org for more information.
