This is the week for generous Canadians, who are helping children in need through Operation Christmas Child, to finish packing their gift-filled shoeboxes and drop them off at hundreds of locations across the country.

National Collection Week is Nov. 13-19. Churches, businesses, and other locations are ready to accept shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items, plus personal notes and photos.

Anyone can pack shoeboxes! Individuals, families, and groups still have time to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. These simple gifts serve as tangible expressions of God’s love—reminding boys and girls of the true meaning of Christmas.

“It’s always a joyous occasion for our drop-off location partners to connect with shoebox-packing Canadians who want to give hope to children who, in many cases, have never received a gift in their lives,” said Kendra Shields, director of Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child is an annual initiative of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization that works in more than 100 countries. Last year, Canadians filled more than 415,000 shoeboxes with gifts that shared God’s love and hope with struggling children in West Africa, Central America, Ukraine and Philippines

Thanks to all the items that Canadians lovingly put in their shoeboxes, and the $10-per-box they donate to cover shipping and other program costs, Samaritan’s Purse is able to deliver the boxes to children around the world living in the midst of poverty, disease, war and natural disaster.

Finding the nearest shoebox drop-off location is easy. Just visit SamaritansPurse.ca, click on the shoebox drop-off locator box, and have your postal code ready. Locations are also available at https://reachfm.ca/articles/operation-christmas-child-shoebox-drop-off-locations

Don’t have time to go shopping for shoebox contents? Then visit PackaBox.ca.ca and do it online!

Information provided by Samaritan's Purse

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