Local families look to make global impact through Operation Christmas Child

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Eastern Hills Community Church in Sequim is once again serving as a drop-off site for Operation Christmas Child, one of 5,000 sites across the nation collecting shoebox gifts for children overseas.

Families and individuals have been filling colorful shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies, hygiene items and more for Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, Nov. 12-19.

In many cases, items like school supplies allow children to attend school and receive an education or even the first toothbrush they won’t have to share with siblings, program organizers say. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.

“We are honored to be linking arms with our community to help children around the world experience the true meaning of Christmas,” said Collection Center Coordinator Paul Muncey of Eastern Hills, who has participated in Operation Christmas Child for four years. “These simple gifts show God’s love to children facing difficult circumstances.”

Drop off shoebox gifts at Eastern Hills Community Church, 91 Savannah Lane, at the following times:

• Monday, Nov. 12: 4-7 p.m.

• Tueday, Nov. 13: 1-3 p.m.

• Wednesday, Nov. 14: 1-3 p.m.

• Thursday, Nov. 15: 4-7 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 16: 1-3 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 17: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 18: 1-3 p.m.

• Monday, Nov. 19: 10 a.m.-noon

Or, log on to www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations and enter a zip code for additional locations.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 360-509-4338 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child, now in its 25th year, is “to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”