Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week until November 25

San Ramon, CA, Nov 21, 2024—Volunteers in the San Francisco Bay Area are collecting Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes filled with new toys, school supplies, and hygiene items, during National Collection Week from now until November 25. More than 35 drop-off locations are open across the Bay Area in November, and shoebox packers can find their local drop-off locations nearest them.

Shoebox packing is fun for individuals, families and groups! Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these shoebox gifts- tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need in underprivileged countries internationally. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Volunteers can also pack a shoebox filled with gifts virtually online at the Build Your Shoebox Online! page.

Last year, in the Bay Area, churches, schools, business and community groups contributed 66,770 shoebox gifts! This year, the goal is for over 70,000 gifts. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering gift-filled shoeboxes to children overseas including many who are suffering from war, poverty, disease and disaster. Operation Christmas Child hopes to reach another 12 million children in 2024 with the hope of Jesus.

“Children need hope, and they need to know that they are not alone and God loves them,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Gift-filled shoeboxes open the door for us to share the hope of the Gospel with boys and girls around the world. Please pray that these simple gifts have an eternal impact.”

Participants can find the nearest drop-off location and hours of operation as they make plans to drop off their shoebox gifts. The online lookup tool is searchable by City or ZIP code. Signs at each location will identify the drop-off.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.

For more information, visit https://samaritanspurse.org/occ
Email: occ.trivalley@gmail.com