Collection Week for the local Operation Christmas Child drive is complete for 2017, but there is still time to pack a shoe box gift online or to send a gift card for a friend to do the same.
Operation Christmas Child is a program in which residents pack shoe boxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items and toys and deliver them to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries around the world.
The Peninsulas Team of Operation Christmas Child (Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas) filled 10,074 shoe box gifts during its recent Collection Week; the Sequim area alone collected 1,250 shoe boxes, program organizers said.
To contribute, see the Samaritan’s Purse Website for details at www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/build-a-shoebox-online-gift-card/.
Filing a virtual shoe box allows participants to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender. Finish packing the virtual shoe box by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view gift suggestions, call 360-509-4338 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.
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,” according to organization officials.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 146 million gift-filled shoe boxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.
