2 Valley churches to assist Operation Christmas Child

Staff report

Calvary Baptist Church, 1463 Shields Road, Boardman, and Poland Presbyterian Church, 2 Poland Manor, Poland, are preparing to serve as collection points for Operation Christmas Child.

Through Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, Mahoning Valley residents can help send shoe-box gifts this year to more than 8 million children in 100 countries that are suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty.

Boxes are filled with school supplies, small toys, hard candy and necessity items.

Collection of boxes will take place Monday through Nov. 22. Collection hours at Calvary Baptist, 330-792-7873, will be from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Nov. 18, noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 19, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 20, noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 21 and noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 22.

Collection hours at Poland Presbyterian, 330-757-1547, will be from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Nov. 18, 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 19, 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 20 and 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 21. There will be no collection Nov. 22.

Each year, Calvary Baptist Church and Poland Presbyterian Church strive to collect a record number of shoe-box gifts for needy children.

This year, organizers hope to collect more than 2,000 gift-filled shoe boxes from families, kids, churches, schools and civic organizations in the area.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 77 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.

Operation Christmas Child uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow your box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need.

To register shoe-box gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.