Operation Christmas Child shoebox program underway

From Operation Christmas Child

Havre families, churches and groups are not waiting until Thanksgiving Day to express gratitude. Instead, this week they are giving back by lovingly packing gifts of joy for children around the world living in extreme poverty or affected by war, disease and natural disaster. For many of these children, it will be the first gift they have ever received.

Through Nov. 23, Havre residents will be helping to pack 250 shoebox gifts filled with toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement. The donations can be dropped off at Community Alliance Church.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of the international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, will deliver the gifts to children in need overseas.

Havre-area residents can visit http://www. samaritanspurse.org/occ to find sites that will serve as collection points in the area.

“We have so much to be thankful for here in America. Most of us have a roof over our heads, beds with pillows to sleep on, and food on our table. But for many children living overseas, tough living conditions and extreme poverty have left them with little hope,” said Operation Christmas Child Regional Director Michael Ishmael. “It is amazing to see the joy on children’s faces when they receive these gifts. It can be a tangible reminder that they are loved and not forgotten, despite their difficult circumstances.”

After being dropped off at a local collection site, these boxes will make a journey overseas, traveling by any means necessary — boat, plane, train and even elephant — until they reach the hands of children in need. In 2015, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach more than 11 million children. Since 1993, the project has delivered shoebox gifts to more than 124 million children in over 150 countries and territories.

It’s not too late to get involved, and anyone can participate in this life-changing project for children around the world.

With a computer or mobile device, anyone can conveniently pack a personalized Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift on the Samaritan’s Purse website. These gifts of hope will go to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries. Go online to select toys and gift items, write a note of encouragement and “pack” them in a shoebox.

Participants can follow their box online to discover where in the world their gift is delivered by using the donation form found online at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization.

Donations will be accepted at Community Alliance Church, 925 8th St., from 10 a.m. to noon, and 6 to 8 p.m. each day. For more information about the shoe box donations, call 265-8482.