West Covina church, private school host Operation Christmas Child packing night

Bethany Church is throwing a party aimed at bringing joy to children in need. At the party, children, families, and individuals will fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball. Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, will send the gift-filled boxes to children overseas who are suffering from poverty, natural disaster, war, terror, disease and famine.

The party, held at Bethany Church (763 N. Sunset Ave., West Covina) on November 16 at 7:00 p.m. is open to the public and all are welcome to experience the joy of generosity. To RSVP, email emily@bethanyonline.net. Bethany Church hopes the party will generate 1,200 boxes, contributing to the expected 37,000 shoebox gifts collected this year in San Gabriel Valley.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (714) 432-7030 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. 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.