Shoeboxes packed with school supplies, hygiene items and toys can be dropped off at various churches next week as part of Operation Christmas Child
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
In many countries around the world, children crave an education. But too often, due to their family’s means, they’re unable to get their hands on something as simple as a pencil. Since this basic writing tool is usually a requirement to attend classes, they’re turned away.
This holiday season, Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization, is stepping in to help through its Operation Christmas Child initiative. Currently celebrating its 25th year, the project tasks volunteers across America with collecting school supplies, hygiene items and toys, which are placed into shoeboxes and shipped to more than 100 countries.
Since its founding in 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes. This year, its total goal is to reach 11 million children in need, with the Bucks County region aiming to help 25,287 of them.
Ahead of the project’s National Collection Week on Nov. 12–19, during which locals can drop off filled shoeboxes or individual items to designated churches in Langhorne, Southampton and Warrington, The Times spoke with Warminster resident Christy Stokes, who is serving as the logistics coordinator for Bucks County’s Operation Christmas Child efforts.
According to her, these collection sites are among 5,000 drop-off locations nationwide that are actively looking to help children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. For many of these children, the shoebox will be the first gift they have ever received.
So far, Stokes is already witnessing a strong sense of determination from the community to fill those 25,287 shoeboxes, which is nearly 2,000 more than last year.
“This year, we’d like to reach all of 12 million children, and so our little area is a part of that,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of people talking to a lot of people who live in Bucks County and going to a lot of events, so we are pretty excited that we do have a community that is happy to be involved and excited to be participating.”
Stokes stressed that each November, Samaritan’s Purse virtually starts from scratch in regards to Operation Christmas Child.
“After you give out the gifts at Christmas, you always start at zero again. So there’s nothing left over. We don’t hang onto anything,” she said. “That’s one of the fun but challenging things. We give away every single gift we receive.”
For the past decade, the gifts have consistently been transported to at least 100 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America and South America. While some locations have become staple recipients, others are newly added depending on need.
“We do try to go back to the same places and always add on new places as well,” Stokes said. “So we don’t want a country that we’ve been going to feel like we don’t care about you anymore. But we are always asking new countries, would you guys participate? Would you like to receive shoeboxes?”
Those interested in participating in Operation Christmas Child can do so in several ways. During National Collection Week, Bucks County residents can obtain a label online that states the age and gender they’re packing for. They can then fill the shoebox with supplies, hygiene items, and one “wow” item that will make the child’s face light up when they open the gift, and drop it off at a collection site. At the end of the week, all donated boxes will be driven to the headquarters of Samaritan’s Purse in Baltimore, where they will be processed and shipped around the world.
Participants are also more than welcome to bring single items.
“We will take them all the way down to Baltimore and they will be used to fill boxes that perhaps are a little bit empty, or somebody didn’t quite remember to stick some pencils in there,” Stokes said, adding that nothing is ever taken out of the boxes. “We make sure that if you pack a present, it goes exactly the way you want it to go. Unless it’s particularly empty, then we’ll help it a little bit.”
Stokes stressed the importance of ensuring each box has a balance of all three types of items, especially the school supplies and hygiene products.
“They’re both very treasured and, in some cases, necessary. Children can’t go to school unless they can present two pencils,” she said. “It can really transform a child’s life when they get to go to school.”
For anyone who wants to participate but is unable to make it to a collection site, they can either make a monetary donation to Samaritan’s Purse or build a shoebox online. Just as if they were in a store, the person can select items from a list to be put into the box, and customize it for a boy or girl. No matter the items they select, the entire shoebox costs a flat rate of $25. Virtual shoppers are also able to type a personalized note to be placed inside.
“They’ll know specifically that you packed it for them,” Stokes said. “You really get to follow your heart and pick what you want a child to have.”
Approximately three to four weeks after dropping a shoebox off or building one online, Operation Christmas Child participants can track their gift to see where it ended up.
Local collection sites include the following: First Baptist Church of Doylestown, 311 W. State St., Doylestown; Bucks County Community Church, 1249 W. Maple Ave., Langhorne; Davisville Baptist Church, 325 Street Road, Southampton; Warrington Fellowship Church, 1455 Cooper Lane, Warrington; and Riverstone Church, 725 Oxford Valley Road, Yardley.
For National Collection Week hours and more information on Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.com. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
