Children’s teaching locations from Operation Christmas will open between November 18-25 News, Sports, Jobs

LEWISTOWN​​​​ — Volunteers are gearing up to collect gifts for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox during National Collection Week, Nov. 18-25. More than 4,700 drop-off locations will open across the country in November, and shoebox packers can find the local drop-off locations closest to them.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoeboxes full of gifts to children, including many suffering from war, poverty, disease and disaster. Operation Christmas Child hopes to reach another 12 million children in 2024 with the hope of Jesus.

Shoebox packing is fun for individuals, families and groups. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage. The project partners with local churches around the world to provide these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online “Watch Your Box” and receive a tracking label to track its destination.

“Children need hope and they need to know that they are not alone and that God loves them.” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Shoeboxes full of gifts open the door for us to share the hope of the Gospel with boys and girls around the world. Please pray that these simple gifts will have an eternal impact.”

Attendees can find the nearest drop-off location and hours of operation while making plans to drop off their shoebox gifts. The online search tool can be searched by city or zip code. Signs at each location will identify the descent.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, aims to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church around the world, 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.

Some local drop-off locations are Kish Valley Grace Brethren Church, 99 Taylor Dr., Reedsville; Locust Grove Mennonite Church, 3358 W Main St., Belleville; Samuel’s Church, 480 Samuels Church Rd., McClure; Guardian Angel Bookstore, 312 Main St., Richfield and Thompsontown Baptist Church, 269 Birch Dr., Thompsontown. For dates, times and other teaching locations, visit