LAKEPORT >> Some local residents are on a mission to make a lasting impact on children in need. They are looking beyond their own wish lists and donating gift-filled shoeboxes for boys and girls around the world—for many, it will be the first gift they have ever received.
Until Nov. 21, residents will transform more than 14,400 empty shoeboxes into gifts of hope filled with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will deliver these shoebox gifts to children overseas living in extreme poverty or affected by war, disease and natural disaster.
Several Lakeport-area sites will serve as drop-off locations for shoebox gift donations open all week. For a complete list of all drop-off locations, searchable by ZIP code, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.
“This week the community is focused on making a difference in the lives of children facing difficult circumstances,” said Nathan Bates, West Coast Regional Director for Operation Christmas Child. “There is no joy quite like that of giving, and it is an honor to use our resources to let children around the world know they are loved and not forgotten.”
Lakeport residents participating are not alone in their effort to help children around the world. More than 150,000 volunteers including families, churches and other groups are linking arms across the country to contribute to the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. In 2016, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach 12 million children, with more than 14,400 coming from Lakeport and surrounding cities.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. By going online to give the suggested donation of $7 per shoebox gift, participants can follow their box to discover where in the world it will be delivered. They can also pack a shoebox gift online and even upload a photo and note of encouragement.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization.
