Canada’s 2023 Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection season will soon be underway. Individuals, families, churches, businesses, sports teams, and community groups are now packing shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items, plus personal notes and photos, to be delivered to children in need around the world.
Operation Christmas Child is an annual initiative of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization that works in more than 100 countries. Last year, Canadians filled more than 415,000 shoeboxes with gifts that shared God’s love and hope with struggling children in West Africa, Central America, Ukraine and Philippines. In a world weighed down with inflation and the effects of war, children need joy more than ever.
Here in Napanee, a drop-off location will be set up at 7 Richmond Park Dr. during the week of Nov. 13-19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The location will be closed the Friday and Saturday and then open on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.
Thanks to all the items that Canadians lovingly put in their shoeboxes, and the $10-per-box they donate to cover shipping and other program costs, Samaritan’s Purse is able to deliver the boxes to children around the world living in the midst of poverty, disease, war, and natural disaster.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed more than 200 million shoebox gifts in more than 100 countries.
“Struggling children and families need hope,” said Kendra Shields, director of Operation Christmas Child. “This is the essence of Operation Christmas Child. Every shoebox gift is an opportunity for a child to learn that he or she matters to Canadians and, most importantly, matters to God. That’s why I want everyone to help as many children in need as possible by packing shoeboxes.”
Each gift-filled shoebox packed, donated, and delivered to one of hundreds of drop-off locations throughout Canada by Nov. 19 will make a long journey into the arms of a child in need. Canadians can also pack boxes online at PackABox.ca.