National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child Approaches

Every third week in November is when thousands of families and children gather together to pack show boxes for children overseas. Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoe box gifts filled with school supplies, hygiene items, and toys to children worldwide since 1993.

To name just a few places, these boxes have traveled Honduras, Mexico, Romania, Ukraine, Central Asia, and even as far as Antarctica. Once the shoe boxes are packed in the home, they are sent out to the Upper Midwest offices for processing. Then, they are placed onto shipping containers where they are sent to their designated country.

Operation Christmas Child Bureau Manager Izabella McMillon shares that a simple shoebox gift made a profound impact in her own life as a 13-year old girl growing up in Romania. The brand new items in her shoe box were, to her, like a splash of color in her black and white world and a direct answer to a specific prayer.

National Collection Week this year is Nov. 15-22. Curbside side options will be available.

More information on finding drop-off locations and or how to pack a shoe box can be found at samaritanspurse.org.