‘Love in a Shoebox’ drive scheduled
Great Bethel Baptist Church, 47 W. Fayette St., Uniontown, is gearing up for the collection week of Operation Christmas Child’s “Love in a Shoe Box” project. Great Bethel will serve as collection center, and once again as a drop-off site for completed shoeboxes. OCC, run by international Christian and relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers shoe boxes filled with small gifts, toys and candy to suffering children all across the globe.
The project reached 5.4 million kids with the joy of Christmas in 2001.
The boxes were delivered to children in about 95 countries.
In OCC’s “A Special Report from Samaritan’s Purse,” Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said, “This extraordinary project would not be possible without the help of a host of caring people who packed shoe boxes, volunteered, prayed and gave financially.
“Working together, we are able to share God’s love with boys and girls who desperately need to know he cares.”
To describe the project, Mary Damron, national spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse, says it best, “We ask churches, groups, organizations, clubs, schools and individuals to be a part – simply gather old shoe boxes, fill them with gifts for children and wrap them in Christmas paper. These shoe box gifts then go to the most devastated areas of our world to children who are living in the midst of poverty, hunger, disease or war. For most of these little ones, it’s the only gift they have ever received, and the only gift many will ever be given in their lifetimes. Children are hurting all over the world. This is our way of showing them that they are not forgotten and that someone cares.”
In July, collection centers were asked to set goals for their areas. Great Bethel set a “community” goal of 10,000 – with community meaning the southwestern end of the state. The church hopes to be overflowing with completed shoeboxes by the end of November. The church would like to encourage those who would like to participate by saying it’s not too late to get involved.
Completed shoeboxes may be delivered to Great Bethel Baptist Church from Nov. 18-25 during the hours of 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This year there are drop-off sites in the following communities: Uniontown, Markleysburg, Amity, Connellsville, Everson, Normalville and Meyersdale. Call 1-800-397-9257 to hear more information about the drop-off sites listed above, including their dates and times of operation.
Brochures describing the project, what to put in the boxes, are available upon request. Call 1-800-353-5949 to request as many as you need.
For more information about the local project, call 1-800-397-9257.