Fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child

While many families are busy with holiday activities, a group of local volunteers is focused on filling empty shoeboxes with school supplies, toys, hygiene items and notes of encouragement for needy children overseas.

Snoqualmie Valley families are participating in the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child, an effort that has hand-delivered 86 million gifts to children worldwide since 1993.

This year-round project of Samaritan’s Purse is coming to its peak, as local businesses, churches and schools prepare to collect gift-filled shoeboxes during National Collection Week, Nov. 14 to 21.

Participants can drop off their shoebox gifts at Cascade Covenant Church, which is bustling with activity to help kids in 100 countries know they are loved and not forgotten.

Boxes will be collected 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 8 to 9 a.m. on Monday mornings at Cascade Covenant Church, 13225 436th Ave. S.E., North Bend.

To register gifts, read step-by-step shoebox packing instruction and learn about the destination country, use the ‘Follow Your Box’ donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Volunteers can enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take part in creating shoebox gifts for needy children worldwide. They can also fill shoeboxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items and a letter of encouragement.

People can also sign up to join Operation Christmas Child volunteers at the collection site in North Bend as part of the effort to prepare millions of gifts for delivery to underprivileged young people on six continents.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (303) 745-9179 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ. National Collection Week for gift-filled shoeboxes is next week; however, shoebox gifts are collected all year at the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.

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