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

Hundreds of St. Charles county families hope to share the true meaning of Christmas and make a difference in the lives of children in need around the world by supporting Operation Christmas Child, the largest Christmas project of its kind.

Throughout the Fall, empty shoe boxes will be packed by churches, community groups, families and individuals —with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items. The gift-filled shoe boxes will be collected at several area locations Nov. 13 ­– 20 during National Collection Week. The project hopes to collect 12 million gift-filled shoe boxes this year, with nearly 18,600 coming from St. Charles, Lincoln, Warren and Montgomery counties.

Anyone interested in Operation Christmas Child is invited to attend the annual “Countdown to National Collection Week” event held Sept. 30 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 this year during which she hand delivered gift-filled shoe boxes to children.

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

Drop-off locations in churches will be open during National Collection Week Nov. 13-20. 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 shoe boxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.