Operation Christmas Child is preparing for the 2024 holiday season

Fergus Falls, MN – Volunteers prepare to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, November 18-25. More than 4,700 drop-off locations will open across the country in November, and shoebox packers can find drop-off locations near them.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed gift-filled shoeboxes to children, including many suffering from war, poverty, disease and disasters. Operation Christmas Child hopes to reach an additional 12 million children with the hope of Jesus in 2024.

Shoebox packing is fun for individuals, families and groups! For step-by-step instructions, visit the “How to Pack a Shoebox” website. The project works with local churches around the world to bring these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through Follow Your Box and receive a tracking label to determine the destination.

“Children need hope and they need to know that they are not alone and that God loves them.” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Shoeboxes filled with gifts 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 will have an eternal impact.”

Participants can find the nearest drop-off location and hours as they plan to drop off their shoebox gifts. The online search tool can be searched by city or zip code. Signs at each location identify the drop-off point.

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, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ worldwide. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.

(Story courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)