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Last updated on Monday, November 2, 2015
(UNDATED) - Crossroads Community Church and Stanford Baptist Church in Bloomington will collect shoeboxes-packed with toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement-from generous donors.
This year, Bedford project coordinators hope to collect 12,781 shoebox gifts to deliver to children in need overseas.
In Bloomfield, the White River Baptist Church, will once again serve as the Greene County designated drop off site for Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest Christmas project of its kind.
The annual Samaritan's Purse project is a favorite of many who spread joy to millions of children around the world by filling shoeboxes with gifts for children who would otherwise not receive any gifts for Christmas.
Officials says anyone can can participate and bring joy to a child facing difficult circumstances.
Using special tracking technology, participants can follow their box to discover where in the world their gift is delivered by using the donation form found atsamaritanspurse.org/occ.
Donors are asked to avoid sending items that are used or damaged; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; and aerosol cans.
Conventional shoe boxes or the plastic type boxes that can be purchased at most department stores. Donors may wrap their boxes or boxes will be wrapped by.
There is no limit to the number of filled boxes that can be donated. Cash donations will also be accepted at the drop off location.
National Collection Week will take place from Monday, November 16 though Monday, November 23. During this time frame, the hope is to contribute more than 12,781 gift-filled shoe boxes to the 2015 global goal of reaching 11 million children in need.
Crossroads Community Church - 5000 Ind. 37, Bedford
White River Baptist Church, State Road 57 in Bloomfield
Stanford Baptist Church - 8918 W Hinds Rd. in Bloomington
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 124 million children in more than 150 countries and territories. For many of these children, a gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received. With a computer or mobile device, anyone can conveniently pack a personalized Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift on the Samaritan's Purse website. Go to samaritanspurse.org/occto select toys and gift items, write a note of encouragement and "pack" them in a shoebox. These gifts of hope will go to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries.
Boxes that are not dropped off by the deadline can still be sent to the Samaritan's Purse Organization to be distributed.
After the boxes are prepared for overseas shipment at eight major processing centers across the United States--Atlanta; Boone, N.C.; Charlotte; Dallas; Denver; Honolulu; Minneapolis; and Orange County, Calif.--Samaritan's Purse and its partners will deliver the gifts to children in more than 100 countries on six continents.
For more information about the program, what to include in the boxes and how to pack the boxes call the churches and leave a message or visit the Samaritan's Purse website, SamaritansPurse.org.
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