First Christian Church in Warsaw will serve as a drop-off location for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child – the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. During National Collection Week, Nov. 14-21, participating Warsaw residents will donate shoeboxes – filled with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball – for Operation Christmas Child to deliver to children in need around the world. This year, Warsaw and surrounding cities residents hope to contribute more than 37,325 shoebox gifts toward the 2016 global goal of reaching 12 million children, according to a provided news release. “The shoebox gifts donated by these volunteers will serve as tangible expressions of God’s love to children living in poverty overseas,” said Regional Director David Zimmerman. “Anyone is welcome to pack a shoebox and help a child facing difficult circumstances feel loved and not forgotten.” Hours at First Christian Church, 115 Park Ridge Drive, Warsaw, are: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 14-17; 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 18; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 19; noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 20; and 8 to 10 a.m. Nov. 21. Hours subject to change. A full list of area collection locations can be found online at samaritanspurse.org/occ. For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 937-374-0761 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. By going online to give the suggested donation of $7 per shoebox gift, participants can follow their box to discover where in the world it will be delivered. They can also pack a shoebox gift online and even upload a photo and note of encouragement. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, the release states. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 135 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
