Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christ Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God's love. Each year in early November, we encourage families to put together shoe box gift boxes filled with toys, school supplies, style or hygiene items for kids in some of the poorest areas of the world. We collect the shoeboxes, and then send them to Samaritan's Purse, a Christian Relief Organization who then distributes the boxes around the world. Over the last several years, we have sent thousands of boxes to Samaritans Purse who have sent 100 million boxes in the last 20 years.
To find out more about the shoe box ministry, visit the official website. The official website site also offers great suggestions on what should or should not be packed inside the shoebox. After you have packed your box, drop it off at Essex Alliance in the lobby on:
- Sunday, November 4 during the services
- Sunday, November 11 during the services
- During the collection week Nov 12-19
- Sunday, November 18 during the services
We will then pack together all of the boxes that we receive on the afternoon of November 19 and then ship them to the Samaritan's Purse collection site in Baltimore, MD.
To help with the shipping expense from Baltimore to locations around the world, Samaritan's Purse asks that you include a $9 donation inside your box. Cash is fine, as is a check made out to Samaritan's Purse.
Essex Alliance is a collection center for Operation Christmas Child. People, groups and churches from all over Chittenden County will be bringing their boxes here to be collected and bundled for shipment to Baltimore. Do you have a few hours to volunteer the week of November 13 to 20? Everyone who joins always talks about how much they enjoy being on this team.
For more information or to volunteer contact Brian Kinsman at
kins11320@gmail.com
We also have a packing party on Sunday, November 11th from 1:30pm to 4:30pm in the EAC Mountain View Room. Sometimes people give us loose items instead of a full box. So we get together to put boxes together. Bring your own items to add to the boxes, too!
FOLLOW YOUR BOX
If you want to "track" your box this year and find out were it went, then donate your $9 online and follow the instructions on the website. You'll print out a unique barcode for your box to place on your shoe box. What a great new way to enjoy the joy of giving!
A great way to make your shoebox even more special for your family, is to have your kids color in an information sheet and enclose it in the box. The coloring sheet allows your kids to tell the child who receives the box about your family. You can also write down your address, and your family may receive a thank you note from the other side of the world! If you have Adobe PDF reader, you can download the coloring sheet by clicking here.
