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 fun toys, school supplies, and personal care items and drop them off now during National Collection Week, which runs through November 25. There are more than 4,700 drop-off locations open around the country.

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. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage.

“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.”

Families and individuals can make fun and meaningful memories by packing shoebox gifts for children in need. What a great way to start a Christmas tradition that emphasizes giving—as the Lord says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). There's nothing like the personal touch of shopping for and filling shoeboxes together to ensure that boys and girls around the world receive quality gifts.

In addition, many churches and organizations host packing parties, which can also be a great way to introduce the joy of shoeboxes to others. If you are interested in such an opportunity, Samaritan’s purse encourages you to plan a special event that will ensure shoebox gifts are high quality, enable your community to serve together, and facilitate outreach.

This website has all the tools you need to host a packing party of your own – ideas, guidelines, suggested items, and other frequently asked questions – www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/packing-parties/. Emphasize the importance of creating a fun, full and personalized shoebox. A good guide is to set a budget for each box too – like $10. Don’t forget to select wow items such as a doll, soccer ball with pump or a stuffed animal. Boxes should contain other fun items and toys, personal care items, school supplies and you can personalize them by including an encouraging note and photo for the child. Once boxes are put together, you have options of drop-off locations.

And if you don’t do it this year, you can start preparing for next year by ordering Samaritan’s Purse preprinted shoeboxes or collecting your own supplies throughout the season.

There are three locations in the Valley – Baptist Temple in McAllen, 2001 Trenton Rd.; First Baptist Church in Edinburg, 201 E. Samano St.; and Vida Nueva Christian Church in Brownsville, 409 W. 2nd St.

Drop off times at Baptist Temple are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. most days. Wednesday, November 20, drop off time is 5 to 8 p.m.

Drop off times at First Baptist Church in Edinburg is 4 to 6 p.m. November 18 to November 22. Saturday, November 23 drop off time is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday November 24 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.; and Monday, November 25 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

You can also drop off shoeboxes at Vida Nueva Christian Church at various times throughout the drop off period. To get those times, and other locations through the United States, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/. It is searchable by city or ZIP code.

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 churches 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.

Captions –
Pic with 4 ladies –
Year-round Connect volunteers promote shoebox packing in their communities across the country. Courtesy of Samaritan's Purse.

Pic with kid and mother –
Packing shoebox gifts is an activity for all ages. Courtesy of Samaritan's Purse.

Girl with White Purse –
At a morning outreach event in a village in Cambodia, a girl rejoices at the purse she found inside her shoebox gift. Courtesy of Samaritan's Purse.