LAURINBURG — In the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, 11-year-old Marina attended an Operation Christmas Child outreach event where she received a gift-filled shoebox brimming with toys such as a stuffed clownfish, a puzzle, a pen and a stuffed cat dressed in purple overalls.
“The thing I liked most from the box was this cat called Bundle,” Marina said. “I love it very much.”
During Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse — “a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world,” according to its website — collects shoebox gifts filled with school supplies, hygiene products and toys and then delivers them around the world to children in need.Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has delivered more than 200 million shoeboxes to children and disciples millions of boys and girls.
“When our community participates in this project, it [gives] us an opportunity to demonstrate God’s love with others around the world and to impact children in need,” read a statement from Samaritan’s Purse. “Christmas is about giving and we can share our blessings with the children of the world through a simple shoebox.”
Anyone is eligible to pack a shoebox.
Participants can decide whether to pack for a girl or boy between the ages of 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14 and may use any standard shoebox from home or the printed ones, now available at the Laurinburg Exchange, at 219 S. Main St., Suite H; or the Christian Bookstore of Laurinburg, at 2100 N. Pine St., through the month of October and early November.
Participants are encouraged to select a quality “wow” item like a doll, a deflated soccer ball with a pump or a stuffed animal; and then fill it with other toys, hygiene items and school supplies. Do not include candy, toothpaste, used or damaged items, war-related toys, breakables, food or liquids in these boxes.
Shoeboxes will be collected at Spring Hill Baptist Church in Wagram from Nov. 13-20 during National Collection Week. For hours of operation, contact the church at 910-369-2335.
“The unexpected gift delights and sparks hope in the life of a child … Also, the effect of the shoeboxes extends past the child that receives it and, in many cases, touches the lives of the family members and people of the village,” according to Samarian’s Purse.
A donation of $10 per box provides for The Greatest Gift Gospel booklet printed in the child’s language.