Watson Chapel Baptist Church, 5514 Pinnacle Lane, will serve as a drop-off location for shoebox gifts — filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items — for the Samaritan’s Purse project on Monday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
During the project’s National Collection Week (Nov. 12-19), this site will collect shoebox donations for children living in poverty overseas, according to a news release.
Gifts can be dropped off at the church Tuesday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 16, 9 a.m. to noon; Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m. to noon; Sunday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 19, 9 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers hope to collect many shoebox gifts to contribute to Operation Christmas Child’s 2018 goal of reaching 11 million children in need. Families, churches and groups are busy transforming empty shoeboxes into gifts.
“The Samaritan’s Purse project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. For many of these children, it will be the first gift they have ever received,” according to the release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We have an opportunity to make a life-changing impact on children across the world,” said Pine Bluff volunteer Susan Wamble. “These simple shoebox gifts remind children that God loves them, and they are not forgotten.”
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham.
“The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories,” according to the release.
Details: samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can also donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.