What is Operation Christmas Child?
WMU invites the church to participate in the annual Operation Christmas Child shoe box project.
The Samaritan’s Purse project 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. For many of these children, the gift—filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 188 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories. In 2021, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 9.7 million children.
Anyone can pack a shoebox. Individuals, families, churches and groups fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys, such as dolls or soccer balls.
Pick up and empty shoebox in the church narthex, fill it, and return it by November 20th (with a check for $10.00 to cover the cost of shipping) to the church office.
During National Collection Week (Nov. 14–21, 2021), Samaritan’s Purse will collect the gift‑filled shoeboxes at nearly 5,000 drop‑off locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.