In the early morning the long wooden boats motored gently across Nokoue Lake, past the small craft propelled by colorful sails, past the fishermen tending and mending large traps, toward the water dwellings of Ganvie. Secured in the wooden craft were hundreds of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts destined for an outreach event at a…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoebox Drop-Off Locations
Drop‑off Locations National Collection Week is Every year, National Collection Week takes place the third week in November when more than 4,500 drop-off locations open across the country. Throughout the year, you can also Build a Shoebox Online, or mail or drop off your gift-filled shoeboxes at one of our permanent centers listed below. LocationsOpen…
Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions Browse by Category Browse by Category Operation Christmas Child · Project Overview · Global Influence of OCC Packing Your Shoebox · Packing and Delivery · Gift Suggestions · Shoebox Labels · Printable Labels · Adhesive Labels · Tracking Your Shoebox Gift · Build a Shoebox Online · Building Online Goal Pages ·…
Operation Christmas Child
‘Thank You So Much for Bringing Me to Jesus’
Millions of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts are packed for boys and girls in need around the world each year, many of which include an email or physical address inviting the child to write back. If you have ever packed one of those boxes and wished you could hear from the child who received it,…
Operation Christmas Child
Celebrating 200 Million Blessings
Elizabeth Groff is on a special journey to help pack the 200 millionth Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift since the Samaritan’s Purse project began in 1993. Elizabeth, who received a shoebox gift years ago as a lonely child in an orphanage in Ukraine, is currently traveling to different U.S. drop-off locations and processing centers with…
Operation Christmas Child
Quality Matters
Quality items in Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts can be the gifts that keep on giving, as children grow up with lasting treasures that sometimes mean even more to them over time. Here are some examples of quality items and reasons they’re important to include: Quality items can become life-long keepsakes. Some shoebox items are…
Operation Christmas Child
200 Millionth Shoebox Gift Celebrated in Charlotte
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham encouraged volunteers and staff at the Charlotte Processing Center in North Carolina during a community celebration event on Dec. 3. He expressed thanks to volunteers in Charlotte as well as the thousands of volunteers working in seven other processing center locations across the country to prepare shoebox gifts for international…
Operation Christmas Child
Franklin Graham Reflects on 25 Years of Sharing God’s Love Through Shoebox Gifts Delivered to the Ends of the Earth
Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has partnered with local churches around the world to deliver 157 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to children in need in 160 countries. Each one—packed full of fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items by a family or individual—is sent with prayer that the child who receives it will experience…
Operation Christmas Child
Wisconsin Shoebox Club Packs 10,000th Gift
Faith Community Church of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, included an extra-special element in a recent worship service. Nineteen-year-old Evilyn Pinnow, founder of the church’s shoebox club, returned from college in Ohio to lead the congregation in the packing of their 10,000th shoebox gift. Significant contributors in the history of the club brought toys, school supplies, and…
Operation Christmas Child
Official Shoebox Gift Suggestions
What Goes in My Shoebox? Start with a quality “wow” item such as a stuffed animal or soccer ball with pump that will capture the child’s attention the instant he or she opens the box. See our gift suggestions according to age and gender listed below for other fun toys, hygiene items, and school supplies…
