From staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — Christmas time’s a-coming, and there is no better way to celebrate than by giving to those across the world.
This month, 22 locations in the Birmingham area, including Pinson and Trussville locations, will serve as collection sites for Operation Christmas Child — the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. The annual Samaritan’s Purse project is a favorite of many Birmingham area residents, families, churches and groups who spread joy to millions of children around the world. The project is completed with donations filling shoeboxes with a “Wow!” item — like a doll or soccer ball — other fun toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement.
Children in Uganda receive their gifts from Operation Christmas Child.
Photo courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse
“Through the simple act of filling a shoebox, someone in Birmingham can make a tangible difference in the life of a child halfway around the world. Anyone can participate and bring joy to a child facing difficult circumstances,” Birmingham area Co-Network Coordinator Stephanie Gates said, who has participated in Operation Christmas Child for 13 years and volunteered for eight years.
During National Collection Week, Nov. 16-23, Birmingham area residents hope to contribute more than 45,000 gift-filled shoe boxes to the 2015 global goal of reaching 11 million children in need.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 124 million children in more than 150 countries and territories. For many of these children, a gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they will have ever received.
Gifts are distributed to the hardest-to-reach places in the world. Here, children receive Operation Christmas Child gifts delivered by oxen in Mongolia. Photo courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse
Participating in this worldwide project is simple. Information is available on their website at samaritanspurse.org/occ. There, you can even build a virtual shoebox gift by selecting toys and gift items, as well as write a note of encouragement. The gifts will then ben sent to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries.
If you’d prefer to donate a physical box, New Life Fellowship, located at 8800 Hwy 75 in Pinson, and First Baptist Church Trussville, located downtown, will be accepting donations and packing shoeboxes as well.
Using special tracking technology, participants can follow their box to discover where in the world their gift is delivered by using the donation form found on the same website as above.
