LIMA — With school back in session and buying school supplies underway, the public is encouraged to add more items to their lists to donate to children in need around the world through Samaritan’s Purse’s program Operation Christmas Child.
“Operation Christmas Child collects shoebox gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way,” the Samaritan’s Purse website reads.
National Collection Week for the shoeboxes will be from Nov. 18 to 25. There will be over 4,700 drop-off locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The list of locations will be posted on Samaritan Purse’s website in early October. Donations can also be given to shoeboxes online. Samaritan’s Purse’s website also gives tips on how to make and pack shoeboxes.
There will be multiple events in the area related to Operation Christmas Child, including:
• Spokesperson event, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, at Leipsic Methodist Church, 127 W. Main St., Leipsic. A shoebox recipient who now serves with Operation Christmas Child, Alex Nsengimana, will speak. Nsengimana grew up in Rwanda and experienced genocide firsthand when his caregivers died and he had to escape gunmen, eventually ending up in an orphanage.
• Spokesperson event, 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Shawnee Alliance Church East Campus, 4455 Shawnee Road, Lima. At 9 a.m., shoebox recipient speaker Alex Nsengimana will speak, and at 10:15 a.m. a project leader workshop will be held. Register at https://tinyurl.com/mr2eadt6.
• Project leader workshop, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Sidney Baptist Church, 1322 E. Court St., Sidney. Shoebox recipient speaker Alex Nsengimana will speak. Register at https://tinyurl.com/2285uwma.
• Prayer, praise and song event, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at Union Chapel Missionary Church, 4869 Ada Road, Lima.
• Countdown event, 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, at College First Church of God, 1100 N. Main St., Findlay. Attendees will hear about ministry outreach events in Nairobi, Kenya and see the first-hand impacts of the shoeboxes on children.
For more information about nearby events, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/local-events-and-offices/.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
