Churches join child Christmas gift effort
Churches in Butler County 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. 12-19.
Operation Christmas Child will deliver these gifts to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine.
“This is a three-step process,” said Lucas Zellers, with the Operation Christmas Child office in Xenia, Ohio.
“Right now, people are gathering shoeboxes, having packing parties,” said Zellers. “Then they take them to a drop-off location. From there, they are taken to one central location and packed up for delivery to one of eight processing centers in the United States.”
Families, churches and groups are transforming empty shoeboxes into gifts filled with school supplies, hygiene items and toys.
All shoeboxes in the Butler County/Armstrong County region will be sent to Columbia, Md., outside Baltimore, “where they are processed and prepared for international shipment to one of 100 countries worldwide,” said Zellers.
This year, Zellers said, the Butler County/Armstrong County region hopes to contribute more than 14,245 shoebox gifts toward the global goal of 11 million children
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham.
The Samaritan's Purse project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver the gifts. For many of the children, it will be the first gift they have ever received.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.
For more information on how to participate, call 410-772-7360 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.
Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.
Those who prefer online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child's age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and note of encouragement.
,h3>Friendship Presbyterian Church Community Center</h3>886 New Castle Road, Slippery Rock5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12; 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 13;5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 14; 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 15;5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 16; 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 171 to 3 p.m. Nov. 18; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 19<h3>St. John's Reformed Church</h3>494 Evans City Road10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 12; 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 13; 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 14; 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 15; 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 16; 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 17; noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 18; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 19<h3>St. John's Reformed Church</h3>334 W. Slippery Rock St., Chicora2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 12; 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 13;10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 14; 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 15, 16; 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 17; 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 18; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 19Three Rivers Free Will Baptist Church, 20401 Route 19<h3>Cranberry Township</h3>9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 12, 13, 14; 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 15; 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 16; 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 17; 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 18; 8 to 10 a.m. Nov. 19<h3>Woodland Valley Church</h3>225 Crowe Avenue, Mars9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 12; 3 to 7 p.m. Nov. 13; 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 14; 3 to 7 p.m. Nov. 15; 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 16; noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 17; 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 18; 9 to 10 a.m. Nov. 19<h3>Zion United Methodist Church</h3>438 Bear Creek Road, Sarver6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 12; 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 13, 14, 15, 16; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 17; 1 to 6 p.m. Nov. 18; 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 19
