OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

News release

November 14-21 is National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gifts and many area residents are on a mission to make a lasting impact on children in need. 

“This week the City of Danville and surrounding communities are focused on making a difference in the lives of children facing difficult circumstances,” said Danville volunteer Kathy Kendrick. “There is no joy quite like that of giving, and it is an honor to use our resources to let children around the world know they are loved and not forgotten.”

During the week, participants will transform more 23,000 empty shoeboxes into gifts of hope filled with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will deliver these shoebox gifts to children overseas living in extreme poverty or affected by war, disease and natural disaster. 

Local collection sites are:

• Centenary United Methodist Church, 1441 Perryville Road.

• Junction City First Baptist Church, 3860 U.S. 127 South 

• Southside Christian Church, 1950 Danville Road, Harrodsburg.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (859) 239-8646 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. By going online to give the suggested donation of $7 per shoebox gift, participants can follow their box to discover where in the world it will be delivered. They can also pack a shoebox gift online and even upload a photo and note of encouragement.

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 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. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 135 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.