Local churches gearing up for shoebox present campaign
Talk about frost on the pumpkin. Today marks two months to Christmas, and local churches are already gearing up for this year's Operation Christmas Child.
Churches in Butler and Armstrong counties will be among 5,000 U.S. drop-off locations collecting shoebox gifts for children overseas during Operation Christmas Child's national collection week, Nov. 18-25.
Last year, they collected 13,661 gift-filled shoe boxes at eight collection sites in the two counties.
It's a three-step process. Churches, families and other groups pack for boys and girls ages 2-4, 5-9 and 10-14. Items can include school supplies, bar soap and washcloths. No edibles or toothpaste should be included.
Next, the shoeboxes are taken to a drop-off location. From there they are taken to a central location for delivery to one of eight processing centers in the United States
This year, there are two new collection sites in Butler County.
This is an excerpt from a story that appears in Friday's Butler Eagle.
