The National Collection Week for the Christmas Shoeboxes, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, is Nov. 13-20.
This year no toothpaste or candy will be allowed in shoeboxes due to custom regulations. Also not allowed are war-related items such as toy guns, knives, or military figures; chocolate or food; seeds, fruit rolls or other fruit snacks; drink mixes, liquids or lotions, medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers, and aerosol cans.
Elizabethton families will be among tens of thousands of U.S. families who 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.
Beginning Monday, the collection of shoeboxes will begin. The shoeboxes filled with fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items will be delivered by Samaritan’s Purse to children around the world affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine.
The drop-off location for shoeboxes in Elizabethton is First Christian Church, located at 513 Hattie Ave. The collection schedule is as follows: Monday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wednesday, 4 to 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Friday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 20, 10 a.m. to noon.
Drop-off locations such as First Christian Church are the first stop on a journey across the world for thousands of gifts — an estimated 40,000 in the Tri-Cities area — packed by local residents. These boxes are then prepared and delivered to children overseas using whatever means necessary — boats, airplanes, trains and even elephants.
This year, Samaritan’s Purse asks shoebox packers to enclose $9 which will help with the shipping cost.
Operation Christmas Child in 2017 hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach 12 million children, with 9.6 million coming from the United States. 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.