Operation Christmas Child Kicks Off Season of Giving for Millions of Children in Need

Christmas Project reaches millions of children in need

Sept. 30: Operation Christmas Child Kicks Off Season of Giving

The Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child will kick off Saturday, Sept. 30 with an annual “Countdown” event as volunteers count down the days till National Collection Week. Empty shoeboxes will be packed by churches, community groups, families and individuals throughout the fall—with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—and collected at several area locations Nov. 13 ­– 20.

Volunteers from around St. Charles, Warren, Lincoln, and Montgomery counties will gather Sept. 30 to for the annual “Countdown to National Collection Week” event held at Grace Community Chapel, 7661 Mexico Road in St. Peters from 10 a.m. to noon. Guest speaker Vicki Stamps of St. Peters will share her story and lots of photos from her trip to Rwanda in May to deliver gift-filled shoeboxes to children.

Information, updates and Operation Christmas Child supplies will also be provided to equip volunteers to pack shoebox gifts and encourage others to do the same.

Operation Christmas Child participants hope to share the true meaning of Christmas with 12 million children around the world this year with 18,600 gift-filled shoeboxes coming from the local area.

Information, updates and Operation Christmas Child supplies will also be provided to equip volunteers to pack shoebox gifts and encourage others to do the same.

Drop-off locations in area churches will be open during National Collection Week. The drop-off location will be the first stop on a journey across the globe for thousands of gifts packed by local families. These gifts are then prepared and delivered to children in need overseas using whatever means necessary—boats, airplanes, trains and even elephants.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view gift suggestions, call Janet Howard at 314-291-0983 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal 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 146 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.

If you are interested in Operation Christmas Child, please join our Area Team's Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/group...

MEDIA NOTE: For complete media materials including high-resolution downloadable photos, visit samaritanspurse.org/occnewsroom.

For further information, click here.