This is National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child, also frequently called Operation Shoebox. It begins tomorrow and runs through next Sunday.
There are drop-off sites in one of 6 Panhandle Cities – Chadron, Alliance, Mitchell, Kimball, Sidney, and Bridgeport.
The Chadron drop-off site is Ridgeview Bible Church at the corner of Ridgeview and East 10th. The hours are 9-4:00 and 5-7:00 Monday-Friday, 8-10:00 Saturday morning, 9:00-Noon next Sunday, and 5-7:00 in the morning on Monday the 20th.
Last year, some 2,800 shoeboxes were collected in the Panhandle and regional coordinator Pastor Roger Gilmming is hoping to top 3,000 this year.
Operation Christmas Child is the world’s largest Christmas project and has distributed over 209-million shoeboxes to children in 170 countries and territories since 1990.
Pastor Gillming says more information about Operation Christmas Child can be found on Samaritanspurse.org including tips on “how to pack a shoebox” and videos of children receiving shoeboxes
Operation Christmas Child has its own shoeboxes, but regular shoeboxes and even plastic boxes of that size are fine. What to put in a shoebox has just a few limits that can be found at the Samaritan’s Purse website or in a pamphlet at the community sites.
Among the recommended items are small stuffed animals, fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items such as combs, toothbrushes, soap, and washcloths.
Each shoebox costs Operation Christmas Child about $10 for shipping and handling, and while a donation of that amount isn’t required, it is suggested.
Those wanting to help but unable to fill a shoebox can donate toward the shipping costs of others either online or at the local collections sites.
The other Panhandle sites are: the Evangelical Free Church in Sidney, Church of Christ in Bridgeport, the Berean Churches in both Alliance and Mitchell, and Trinity United Methodist Church in Kimball
Sites just outside the Panhandle include the Evangelical Free Church in Hot Springs, Midtown and Real Life Churches in Rapid City, and West Hills Baptist Church in Lingle. .