In the early morning the long wooden boats motored gently across Nokoue Lake, past the small craft propelled by colorful sails, past the fishermen tending and mending large traps, toward the water dwellings of Ganvie. Secured in the wooden craft were hundreds of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts destined for an outreach event at a…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoebox Drop-Off Locations
Drop‑off Locations Every year, National Collection Week takes place the third week in November when more than 4,500 drop-off locations open across the country. These locations will be posted on this page in early October. Please check back then to see where you can begin the journey of your shoebox to a child in need…
Operation Christmas Child
Gifts-In-Kind Opportunities
Spread Joy and Hope Through Gifts-In-Kind “We might just look at it as a little stuffed animal or toy, but that is the tool that God is going to use to plant that seed.” —Randy Clark, President, Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company Operation Christmas Child counts on new in-kind donations to ensure each shoebox gift is full and of the…
Health & Medical Ministries
Cleft Lip & Palate Surgical Teams
Cleft Lip & Palate Surgical Teams Medical Specialists Needed In a hard-to-reach community in Liberia, John struggled to secure a stable livelihood due to a frustrating physical condition—a cleft lip. He had endured a life of ridicule and rejection because people believed that he was cursed. John Finally, John received a life-changing operation from a Samaritan's Purse…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Lives Transformed in DRC’s Dungu Territory
Violence and instability have long plagued the Dungu Territory of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Churches, schools, and houses burned down during armed conflict decades ago have never been rebuilt, leaving communities seemingly trapped in spiritual and physical poverty. In the wake of so many years of violence, many families have been left with…
Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions Browse by Category Browse by Category Operation Christmas Child · Project Overview · Global Influence of OCC Packing Your Shoebox · Packing and Delivery · Gift Suggestions · Packing Party Planning Tool · Shoebox Labels · Printable Labels · Adhesive Labels · Tracking Your Shoebox Gift · Build a Shoebox Online ·…
Operation Christmas Child
Celebrating 200 Million Blessings
Elizabeth Groff is on a special journey to help pack the 200 millionth Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift since the Samaritan’s Purse project began in 1993. Elizabeth, who received a shoebox gift years ago as a lonely child in an orphanage in Ukraine, is currently traveling to different U.S. drop-off locations and processing centers with…
Operation Christmas Child
Quality Matters
Quality items in Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts can be the gifts that keep on giving, as children grow up with lasting treasures that sometimes mean even more to them over time. Here are some examples of quality items and reasons they’re important to include: Quality items can become life-long keepsakes. Some shoebox items are…
Operation Christmas Child
200 Millionth Shoebox Gift Celebrated in Charlotte
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham encouraged volunteers and staff at the Charlotte Processing Center in North Carolina during a community celebration event on Dec. 3. He expressed thanks to volunteers in Charlotte as well as the thousands of volunteers working in seven other processing center locations across the country to prepare shoebox gifts for international…
