Several locations in the Williams Bay area are serving as collection sites for Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind.
Participants fill shoeboxes with toys, school supplies and notes of encouragement.
“Anyone can participate,” regional leader Rick Cox said. “Operation Christmas Child is a simple project that helps make a tangible difference in the life of a child facing difficult circumstances like war, poverty, or famine.”
Through local collection points, Williams Bay residents hope to contribute to a multi-county area goal of 40,989 gift-filled shoeboxes to the 2014 global goal of reaching 10 million needy children.
Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 113 million children in over 150 countries through Operation Christmas Child. For many of these children, a gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
Local collection sites include:
Delavan Christian School, 848 Oak St. in Delavan
• Thursday, Nov. 20, noon to 6 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 21, noon to 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 22, 8 a.m. to noon
• Sunday, Nov. 23, noon to 4 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 24, 8 a.m. to noon
Lighthouse Full Gospel, W5502 State Highway 67 in Williams Bay
• Thursday, Nov. 20, 7 a.m.-10 a.m., 4 p.m -7 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 21, 7 a.m.-10 a.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 22, 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 23, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 24, 7 a.m.-10 a.m.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Through simple shoebox gifts and a message of hope through Jesus Christ, children learn they are loved and not forgotten.
For more information about how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (612) 359-7025 or visit samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week for gift-filled shoeboxes is Nov. 17-24; however, shoebox gifts are collected all year at the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.
Participants can track their boxes online to the country where they will be delivered. To track a shoebox gift, use the online donation form at samaritanspurse.org. Click on “Pack a Shoebox” / “Follow-Your-Box Label.”
