Drop off Operation Christmas Child items at New Life Baptist

New Life Baptist Church in Greencastle will serve as a drop-off location for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child — the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind.

During National Collection Week, Nov. 14-21, participating Greencastle residents will donate shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball for Operation Christmas Child to deliver to children in need around the world.

This year, Greencastle and surrounding cities residents hope to contribute 10,271 or more shoebox gifts toward the 2016 global goal of reaching 12 million children.

“The shoebox gifts donated by these volunteers will serve as tangible expressions of God’s love to children living in poverty overseas,” volunteer Marjorie Tate said. “Anyone is welcome to pack a shoebox and help a child facing difficult circumstances feel loved and not forgotten.”

Drop-off dates and times at New Life Baptist Church, 51 Ridgeway St., Greencastle, are 8 a.m.-noon on Monday, Nov. 14 through Friday, Nov. 18; 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Nov. 19; 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20 and 8 a.m.-noon on Monday, Nov. 21.

Hours are subject to change. A full list of area collection locations can be found online.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (937) 374-0761 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 headed by Franklin Graham.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 135 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories. For many of those children, the shoebox was the first gift they have ever received.