SIDNEY — As the Thanksgiving season approaches, many families and children are giving thanks and giving back—to children in need around the world through Operation Christmas Child.
Shoebox gifts prepared by generous donors and filled with toys, hygiene items, and school supplies may be dropped off now during National Collection Week, Nov. 14 – 21. More than 4,500 drop-off sites are now open. The Samaritan’s Purse project will collect its 200-millionth shoebox this year.
Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts to children worldwide for nearly three decades. In 2022, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 11 million children. This season, there’s still time for individuals, families, and groups to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. The project of Samaritan’s Purse partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage.
Sidney Baptist Church, 1322 E. Court St., is one of the drop off locatins. They will be accepting shoeboxes from 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 14-18; from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Nov. 19; 2-4 p.m. on Nov. 20; and 8-10 a.m. on Nov. 21.
“This season, children around the world need a tangible reminder that there is hope and that God loves them,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Through these shoebox gifts packed with special items, children also receive the opportunity to hear about the eternal hope found in Jesus Christ.”
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks 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. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 198 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Operation Christmas Child will collect its 200-millionth shoebox.
