Shoebox gifts will be collected next month for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. The program delivers shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, and school supplies to children around the world as a way to express God’s love.
Area drop-off locations include the Trenton First Baptist Church, Cornerstone Church of Chillicothe, Pattonsburg First Baptist Church, Trinity United Methodist Church of Brookfield, Polo First Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Corydon, Iowa, Southside Baptist Church of Carrollton, Hamilton Street Baptist Church and Rehoboth Baptist Church, both of Kirksville, and Crossroads Christian Church of Macon. National Collection Week is November 14th through 21st.
Area Coordinator Belinda Hogan says individuals wanting to build a shoebox have to decide if they want to build one for a girl or a boy and an age group. They can use any standard, medium-sized shoebox or a preprinted box.
Area Coordinator David Hogan likes to pack boxes for 10 to 14-year-old boys and Belinda Hogan likes to pack girly things and pink items. Belinda also said that individuals packing a shoebox can include a photo and a note.
Shoeboxes should also include a $10 donation to help cover the cost of collection, processing, shipping, and training local churches in receiving countries to present the gospel in a meaningful way to children.
David notes certain items are not allowed in the shoeboxes due to religious and import custom regulations.
Boxes can also be built year-round at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline. Someone can choose items to put inside a box. David Hogan explains there are also options to write a letter and upload a picture of the person building the box.
A suggested donation for a box built online is $25. That covers the cost of the box, contents, and shipping.
David says Operation Christmas Child relies on leadership teams in receiving countries to deliver the shoeboxes to children.
Typically someone will not know where a shoebox was delivered, however, if someone buys postage online, he or she can follow a box.
Someone can also include an email address in a box. The Hogans include their email address in the boxes they pack, and they have gotten emails from receiving children.
Some shoeboxes get to recipients by Christmas. However, Belinda Hogan says if a box travels by ship or has problems clearing customs, it may not be received until the spring or summer.
David says that, in most countries, children are offered a booklet called The Greatest Gift, which talks about Jesus. The children can also come back and receive a program called The Greatest Journey, which is an opportunity to follow Jesus.
Belinda says that almost 1,800 shoeboxes were brought to the drop-off site at the Trenton First Baptist Church last year. There were more than 11,100 boxes collected last year in the 13 counties in the area the Hogans coordinate.
Michelle Johnson is the drop-off team leader for the Trenton First Baptist Church.
Someone can find drop-off locations for November 14th through 21st at samaritanspurse.org/occ. Someone can also volunteer at a drop-off location.
Belinda said they would like to have drop-off locations in Milan and the Princeton area.
She can make presentations on Operation Christmas Child to community groups, churches, or individually. The Hogans will also host a packing party, and she invites community members to see how packing parties work.
Contact Belinda Hogan for more information at 660-339-7748 or on Facebook.
