Christmas is arriving early all over Kearney, as First Presbyterian Church prepares to serve as a collection point for Operation Christmas Child. Soon, with the help of Kearney volunteers, the site will be brimming with festively wrapped shoe boxes full of gifts.
Through Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, Kearney residents are packing shoe box gifts for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty. From Kearney, the shoe box gifts will be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary—sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camels, even dog sleds—to reach suffering children around the world.
“Operation Christmas Child is a unique opportunity to do something as simple as packing a shoe box that will have a lasting impact on a child a world away,” said Kim Bush, Operation Christmas Child drop-off site coordinator. “We are excited about the 2009 collection season as community members have already begun packing show box gifts.”
Operation Christmas Child uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow your box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoe box gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.
LOCAL COLLECTION SITE:
First Presbyterian Church
4511 6th Avenue
Kearney, NE 68845
(800) 528-3163
COLLECTION TIMES:
Nov. 16-21 10 a.m. – Noon
Nov. 22 Noon – 5 p.m.
Nov. 23 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
In 2008, the Kearney area contributed 6,529 boxes to the Operation Christmas Child effort. This year, organizers hope to collect 7,000 gift-filled shoe boxes from families, kids, churches, schools and civic organizations in the area.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 69 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.
