Local families joining global, year-round effort to help 8 million suffering children, while teaching lessons in generosity
U.S. kids have no time to waste helping bring joy to millions of needy boys and girls this holiday season. Sending hope to hurting children worldwide is a full-time, year-round effort that requires the contagious compassion of Flora families, right now!
Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, is calling on local kids, families, churches, businesses, schools, and community groups to fill shoe boxes full of gifts for children overseas who are suffering from disease, famine, war, terrorism and natural disaster.
Operation Christmas Child has collected and hand-delivered more than 68 million shoe box gifts to hurting kids in some 130 countries since 1993. “This is a wonderful chance to teach children in this country about generosity and compassion, and bring hope and joy to hurting children in other countries,” said Beth Armes, Regional Director for Operation Christmas Child.
Although National Collection Week is November 16-23, Operation Christmas Child is a year-round project. Volunteers and shoe box gifts are needed during all seasons to help spread Christmas cheer and the spirit of giving that lasts all year long.
How can you help? Enlist families, churches, community groups and businesses to take part in making shoe box gifts for needy children. Then, fill shoe boxes with toys, necessity items, school supplies, candy and a letter of encouragement. Lastly, Sign up to join thousands of Operation Christmas Child volunteers this fall, at one of many collection sites across Illinois.
Three hundred already decorated and ready to be mailed shoeboxes are available for anyone to pickup. For more information, call 618-662-2406 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.
