Drop-off sites to open for Operation Christmas Child Nov. 13-20

More than 4,500 locations will open to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts for the Samaritan’s Purse project. Volunteers are preparing to collect shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 13-20.

Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts – filled with school supplies, hygiene items, and fun toys – to children worldwide since 1993. Anyone can pack a shoebox. In 2023, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 11 million children.

Individuals, families, and groups still have time to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Find a step-by-step guide online at samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.

“Now more than ever, children around the world need to know that God loves them and there is hope,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “A simple shoebox gift opens the door to share about the true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”

Local drop-off locations will be open in Crystal Springs and Wesson. Hours at Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church, 3121 Didlake Road, Crystal Springs, are 10 a.m. to noon, Nov. 13; 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Nov. 14-16; 10 a.m. to noon, Nov. 17; 8 to 10 a.m., Nov. 18; 4 to 7 p.m., Nov. 19; and 7 to 9 a.m., Nov. 201. Hours at Wesson Baptist Church, 2083 U.S. Highway 51, Wesson, are noon to 2 p.m., Nov. 13; 4 to 6 p.m., Nov. 14-16; 3 to 5 p.m., Nov. 17; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 18; 1 to 4 p.m., Nov. 19; and 8 to 11 a.m., Nov. 20.

For a step-by-step guide on how to pack a shoebox and for additional drop-off locations, visit https://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child online.