Fayette and Coweta families are on a mission to make an impact in the lives of children in need. They are donating colorfully wrapped shoebox gifts to be sent to children around the world, many of whom have never received a gift before and have very little to call their own.
Above, excited children show off shoebox gifts at a delivery site in Mexico. Photo/Samaritan’s Purse.
Nov. 13-20 is Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, when local residents will collect shoebox gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items. The Samaritan’s Purse project will deliver these gifts to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. The South Metro Georgia Area Team volunteers have a goal of collecting more than 11,100 gifts during the week.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view gift suggestions, call 770-777-9342 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.
Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
In Fayette County, drop-off sites are New Hope Baptist Church, 551 New Hope Rd., Fayetteville, and First Baptist Church, 208 Willow Bend Rd., Peachtree City.
For New Hope, daytime collection hours are as follows: Wednesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 17, 9:30-4; Saturday, Nov. 18, 11-1; Sunday, Nov. 19, 1-5; and Monday, Nov. 20: 9-5.
For Peachtree City First Baptist, daytime collection hours are Wednesday, Nov. 15, 1-4; Thursday and Friday, Nov. 16-17, 4-6; Saturday, Nov. 18: 10-2; Sunday, Nov. 19, 2-6; and Monday, Nov. 20, 9-11.
Among the Coweta County locations is Cornerstone United Methodist Church, 2956 Sharpsburg McCullum Road. Daytime drop-off dates are Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2-4; Thursday, Nov. 16 and Friday, Nov. 17, 4-6; Saturday, Nov. 18, 9-noon; Sunday, Nov. 19, 2-5; and Monday, Nov. 20, 10-noon.
“It’s exciting to think of the impact our efforts will have in the life of each child who receives a shoebox,” said Regional Director Shelli Wishard. “We can’t wait to see how our community will respond this year to share God’s love with children across the globe.”
More than 150,000 volunteers including families, churches and other groups are joining forces to contribute to the largest Christmas project of its kind.
In 2017, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach 12 million children, with 11,100 coming from the South Metro Georgia Area Team.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 146 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.
