Operation Christmas Child Collections Will Take Place Next Week

This month, sites in Ste. Genevieve will be among 5,000 U.S. drop-off locations collecting shoebox gifts for children overseas during Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, from November 18 to November 25.

Ste. Genevieve families, churches and groups will be busy transforming empty shoeboxes into gifts filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items. The Samaritan’s Purse project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver the items to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. For many of these children, it will be the first gift they have ever received.

This year, Ste. Genevieve-area residents hope to collect more than 18,750 gifts to contribute to the 2019 global goal of reaching 11 million children.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 816-622-8316, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

Hope Church, 30 Triangle Drive, will be collecting shoebox gifts: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, November 18; 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 19; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 20; 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, November 21; 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, November 22; 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 23; 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, November 24; and 8 to 10 a.m. Monday November 25.

(From press release.)