Published: November 19, 2009 07:36 pm      

Operation Christmas Child in last days for donations

These are the final days to donate toy-filled shoeboxes as part of Operation Christmas Child. National Collection week ends Monday, Nov. 23.

Operation Christmas Child is an outreach of Samaritan’s Purse. Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, started Operation Christmas Child in 1993, sending 28,000 toy-filled shoeboxes to children in need across the world.

Boxes can be filled for either a boy or a girl — an infant or a child between the ages of 2 and 4, 5 and 9, or 10 and 14.

Items recommended include toys such as small cars, dolls, balls, and stuffed animals; school supplies such as pencils, markers, stamps, or paper; hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and washcloths; and other items such as T-shirts, socks, hair clips and watches.

Items which should not be included are used items, perishable items, liquids, medicine or breakable items. Toy guns and knives should also not be put into the boxes.

Before the shoeboxes are sent overseas, Christian literature in the child’s own language is inserted. For that reason, the tops and bottoms of the boxes should be wrapped separately, so that the package can be opened without tearing the paper.

The Lake Cumberland Area Collection Center is located in the Beacon Hill Baptist Church Activity Center at Light no. 26 on South U.S. 27.

Those who have not had time to pack a shoebox, but who would like to donate, can purchase prepared shoeboxes at Wal-Mart for $12, $15, or $20.

Also, those who have items to donate that didn’t fit in their shoeboxes can put those items in the “filler box” at the collection center. Operation Christmas Child processing centers will use those items to help top off shoeboxes that need more filling.

The collection center will be open Friday and Monday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ or call 1-800-460-2856.