Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week is coming up Nov. 12-19 with nearly 5,000 drop-off locations open across the country.

 

Operation Christmas Child is the program where shoeboxes are packed and sent to children across the globe as Christmas presents.

 

Eleven sites within 25-30 miles of Becker are available for drop-off. Those sites include Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church in Rice; New Life Church in Foley; Westwood Church in St. Cloud; Rejoice Lutheran in Clearwater; Oakwood Community Church in Becker; Electro Industries in Monticello; River of Life Church in Elk River; Nowthen Alliance Church in Nowthen; Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Anoka; Meadow Creek Church in Andover and Grace Fellowship in Brooklyn Park.

 

Shoebox gifts are filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items to share God's love with millions of boys and girls around the world through the Samaritan's Purse project. Becker volunteers hope to collect more than 14,444 gifts to contribute to Operation Christmas Child's 2018 goal of reaching 11 million children in need.

 

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.

 

This year, U.S. participants hope to collect more than 9.1 million gifts to contribute to the 2018 global goal of reaching 11 million children.

 

Last year, Adair Friedman of Becker joined a group of student volunteers on a special Samaritan’s Purse team traveling to Madagascar in July to share a message of encouragement, hope and God’s love with children through Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.