Operation Christmas Child – Samaritan’s Purse

What?

Operation Christmas Child is a worldwide children’s project of Samaritan’s Purse that uses simple gift-filled shoe boxes to let hurting children know that they are loved and not forgotten.

Since 1993, more than 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have experienced God’s love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ.

When?

National Collection Week is November 11 through November 24

Right now, kids, families, churches, scout troops, schools, civic clubs and businesses are filling their shoe boxes. In addition to collecting shoe box gifts year-round at the headquarters in Boone, N.C., Samaritan’s Purse will be collecting gift-filled shoe boxes at more than 2,900 drop-off sites in all 50 states and Puerto Rico during National Collection Week.

To find the nearest drop-off location call (800) 353-5949 or visit www.operationchristmaschild.org or www.samaritanspurse.org.

Who?

Millions Worldwide

Generous kids, families, businesses and organizations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and 10 additional countries will fill millions of shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items, family photos and notes of encouragement for needy children.

Some 140,000 volunteers in the United States, bringing the total to more than 500,000 volunteers worldwide, will then help prepare the boxes for transport to distant lands.

Where?

Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts are collected in: the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Samaritan’s Purse and its national partners will hand-deliver each of the 8.5 million shoe box gifts to children in more than 100 countries on six continents.

Operation Christmas Child uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow” their box to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoe box gifts and find out to which country they are delivered, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.

How?

By land, air, sea and elephant

After they are collected at more than 2,900 drop-off locations, shoe box gifts are prepared for overseas shipment in seven major centers across the United States: Boone, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Minneapolis; Atlanta; Denver; Orange County, Calif.; and Honolulu.

The shoe box gifts are then loaded onto trucks, sea containers and sometimes even the world’s largest cargo planes bound for the far reaches of the earth.

Once the gifts are transported to countries around the world, Samaritan’s Purse teams and partners distribute them by bus, train, helicopter, boat, elephant, mule and even dog sled.

Did You Know?

• U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have all packed Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts for children in need.
• Samaritan’s Purse is working in some 100 countries providing aid to victims of war, natural disaster, famine, disease and poverty.

For more information, visit Samaritan’s Purse or Operation Christmas Child.

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