Local Volunteers Collect Gift-filled Shoe Boxes

Local volunteers are collecting simple shoe box gifts, such as school supplies, toiletries, and candy, to distribute to needy children around the world at Christmas time, through Operation Christmas Child.

Donations can be made at local collection sites, which are The Emporium in St. Ignace, the BP Pit Stop in Manistique, Rudyard Bible Church in Rudyard, and the Wesleyan Church in Sault Ste. Marie.

People can join the effort to help the world's largest Christmas project hand-deliver gift-filled shoe boxes to children in some 90 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine, and poverty.

Here are ways people can help:

• Prepare - Enlist families, churches, Scout troops, community groups, and businesses to take part in creating shoe box gifts for needy children worldwide.

• Pack - Fill shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items, candy, and a letter of encouragement. Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org.

• Process - Sign up to join Operation Christmas Child volunteers at collection sites in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of the international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse, has delivered more than 54 million gifts to needy children.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (937) 374-0761 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week is November 12 to November 19.