Collection week set for holiday project

Staff report

WARREN

Operation Christmas Child is preparing for national collection week Nov. 15-22.

The world’s largest Christmas project, making a difference in the lives of more than 8 million children, involves children, families, churches, businesses, schools and community groups filling shoe boxes with small gifts for children in more than 100 countries who are suffering from disease, famine, war, terrorism and natural disaster.

Laura York, Northeast Ohio coordinator, said members of the Operation Christmas Child project, will be at these events — Newton Falls Ladies Firefighter’s Auxiliary Chili Cook-off and Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Newton Falls; Boardman Rotary Oktoberfest in Boardman Park, Boardman, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; ÔÇ∑and Bikers with Boxes, Warren Collection Center, 5000 E. Market St., Warren, 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 10.

This project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham, has collected and hand-delivered more than 77 million shoe box gifts to hurting kids in some 130 countries since 1993. Many of those children had never received a gift prior to that shoe box.

For more information about these events or how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 330-307-8728 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org or www.occneo.com (local site).