For Operation Christmas Child, pack your love in a shoebox

A group of local volunteers is working to get empty shoeboxes filled with school supplies, toys, hygiene items and notes of encouragement for needy kids overseas.

Operation Christmas Child has hand-delivered 86 million gifts to children around the world since 1993.

The year-round project of Samaritan’s Purse is nearing its peak as local businesses, churches and schools get ready to collect gift-filled shoeboxes during National Collection Week, which is Nov. 14 through 21. Volunteers can drop off their filled shoeboxes at a local site and help kids in 100 countries know they are loved and not forgotten.

The program uses whatever means necessary to reach suffering children around the world with the gifts, including sea containers, trucks, trains, planes, camels, boats and dogsleds.

Tracking technology also allows donors to “follow” their boxes to the destination country, where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need.

To register shoebox gifts and find out the destination country, use the Follow Your Box donation form at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Local collection sites follow:

Calvary Baptist Church, 1463 Shields Road, Boardman. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 14 through Nov. 17, noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 19 and noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 20 and 21.

Poland Presbyterian Church, 2 Poland Manor, Poland. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 14, 15, 16, 18 and 19; 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 17, 10 to 11 a.m. Nov. 20, and 9 to 10 a.m. Nov. 21.

Mesopotamia Town Hall, 8686 State Route 534 NW, Mesopotamia. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Nov. 14, 15, 17 and 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 19, noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 20, and 7 to 9 a.m. Nov. 21.

Hubbard First Baptist Church, 59 Orchard Ave., Hubbard. Hours are 9 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 14, 8 to 10 a.m. Nov. 15 and 17, 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 16, 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 18, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 20, and 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 21.

For more information on how to participate, call 937-374-0761 or visit the website. Shoeboxes are collected all year at Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.

HOW TO HELP

Get involved

Prepare: Enlist families, churches, Scouts, community groups and businesses to work together to create shoebox gifts.

Pack: Fill the boxes with school supplies, toys, hygiene necessities and a letter of encouragement and good will. Packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Volunteer: Sign up to join Operation Christmas Child volunteers in the Mahoning Valley to reach the goal of collecting 3,000 boxes for kids on six continents.