OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD Organization collects for needy children

The gifts are sent to children all over the world.
Operation Christmas Child, an annual program put together by Samaritan's Purse, will collect shoe boxes filled with toys and gifts for needy children during the week of Nov. 15.
Samaritan's Purse is a nonprofit organization that specializes in international Christian relief and evangelism. It is headed by Franklin Graham, oldest son of Dr. Billy Graham. The organization distributes the filled shoe boxes along with Christian literature to children around the world.
According to the organization's Web site, Samaritan's Purse collected and distributed more than 6.6 million shoe boxes in 2003.
People interested in participating in Operation Christmas Child should first decide which gender and age group -- 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14 -- they want to make a shoe box for. Shoe boxes must be labeled with this age and gender information.
Items to include
Appropriate items for the shoe box include toys, school supplies, hygiene items, candy, T-shirts, hair clips and small picture books. The shoe boxes should not contain used items, war-related toys -- such as toy guns or soldiers -- perishable foods, liquids, medicines or breakable items.
Samaritan's Purse also asks for a donation of at least $5 to be included with completed shoe boxes to facilitate delivery costs.
Area Operation Christmas Child drop-off sites are Westminster Presbyterian Church, 119 Stadium Drive, Boardman; Old Morgan Lumber Building, 5400 Oak Hill Drive, Warren; New Castle News, 26 N. Mercer St., New Castle; and Trinity Presbyterian Church, 110 E. Market St., Mercer.
Drop-off times at the Warren location are from 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 11 and Nov. 12; 11 to 4 p.m. Nov. 13; from 4 to 8 p.m., Nov. 15 to Nov. 19 and from 11 to 4 p.m., Nov. 20.
Drop-off times at the Boardman location are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 15 to Nov. 19; from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 20 and from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 21.
Participants may also ship completed shoe boxes to Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan's Purse, 801 Bamboo Road, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607.
For more information about Operation Christmas Child and how to put together a shoe box, visit on the Web: www.trumbullocc.org or www.samaritanspurse.org.