Children in need are being blessed this Christmas season through the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child.
Individuals, families and groups have the opportunity to pack a shoebox gift filled with toys, school supplies and personal care items and drop them off through Nov. 25 in Cumberland and southern Fentress counties.
Crossville First Baptist Church and Clarkrange Missionary Baptist Church are among more than 4,700 drop-off locations open around the country.
Drop-off times at Crossville First Baptist Church, 712 S. Main St., are 5-7 p.m. Nov. 20; noon-3 p.m. Nov. 21-23; 1-4 p.m. Nov. 24; and 8:30-10:30 a.m. Nov. 25.
At Clarkrange Missionary Baptist Church, 6250 S. York Hwy., drop-off times are 3-6 p.m. Nov. 20-22; 9 a.m.-noon Nov. 23 and 25; and noon-2 p.m. Nov. 24.
Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts to children worldwide for more than three decades. In 2024, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 12 million children.
The project of Samaritan’s Purse partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Go to tinyurl.com/How2Pack24 to find a step-by-step guide on how to pack a shoebox.
“Samaritan’s Purse is committed to taking the Gospel to hard-to-reach places — whether its responding to a disaster or sharing God’s love through the power of a simple shoebox,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “You can show kids in need the true meaning of Christmas this year through a shoebox gift. Please prayerfully consider packing a shoebox this year.”
Visit samaritanspurse.org/occ or call 615-962-7145 for more information. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks 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 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.