Collection week about to start for Operation Christmas Child
Collection week has started for Operation Christmas Child’s Love in a Shoebox, a international ministry that sends gifts to children who live in desperate situations.
The public will be able to drop off gift-filled shoeboxes through Monday at various drop off points including Fayette City Alliance Church in Fayette City and Trinity Church and South Franklin Community Building, both in Washington, Pennsylvania.
In Fayette County, Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Smithfield serves as the main drop off point. This is the 11th year the church is serving as the collection center for the Laurel Highlands Collection Network, which handles Fayette, Westmoreland and Somerset counties. Mount Moriah collects shoeboxes from residents in the surrounding area but also receives shoeboxes from relay centers through the district which are then taken to the national processing center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In 2015, Mount Moriah collected 11,859 shoeboxes, an increase of nearly 800 boxes from the previous year.
Mina Brown, collection center coordinator, said, “The Mid-Atlantic Region has a goal this year of 1,255,255 shoeboxes. The Laurel Highlands didn’t set a separate goal. We’re just happy to get as many as we can and do better than last year. The Mid-Atlantic Region had a 11.6 percent increase in shoeboxes in 2015. We did really well.”
Operation Christmas Child is part of Samaritan’s Purse, headed by the Rev. Dr. Franklin Graham, son of the Rev. Billy Graham, one of the country’s best-known evangelists. The ministry asks people to donate shoeboxes filled with gifts, such as hard candy, small toys, clothing and school supplies to children around the world who are in desperate situations, including famine, flood and war. The ministry also gives each child a Gospel in his or her own language with each shoebox and missionaries invite the children to participate in a Bible study.
Asked why people like to participate, Brown said, “I think it’s so simple to put together and has such a far-reaching impact.”
Mount Moriah, 30 Church St., will accept shoeboxes from noon to 4 p.m. through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday; noon to 3 p.m. Sunday and 9-11 a.m. Monday.
Samaritan’s Purse lists collection times for other local relay centers in the district:
Fayette City Alliance Church, 211 Connellsville St., Fayette City: 5-7 p.m. today; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday; noon to 2 p.m. Thursday; 6-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to noon Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and 8-10 a.m. Monday.
South Franklin Community Building. 100 Municipal Road, Washington: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to noon Saturday; and noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Trinity Church, 550 S. Main Street, Washington: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 9-11 a.m. Saturday; noon to 2 p.m. Sunday and 9-11 a.m. Monday.
More information is available at www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child.