Operation Christmas Child center will be open November 14-20
By Linda Luck
Published in News on October 25, 2005 1:47 PM
The local collection center for Operation Christmas Child will be open Nov. 14 to 20 at Adamsville Baptist Church, 1302 N. Berkeley Blvd.
Operating hours will be from 3 until 7 p.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. until noon on Thursday, 3 until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and 2 until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Boxes will be shipped on Monday, Nov. 21.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham, that collects gift-filled shoe boxes and delivers them in the name of Jesus Christ to children living in desperate situations around the world.
For some families, packing a shoe box has become a holiday tradition. However, first-time participants may find the following guidelines helpful.
First, choose a medium-size shoe box. It does not have to be wrapped, but wrapping is permissible if the box and lid are wrapped separate.
Next decide whether the box will be for a boy or a girl, and choose the age category, 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. Make a label indicating your choice and tape it on the outside of the box lid, or download and print a form from the Operation Christmas Child Website.
Next fill the box with a variety of items, such as small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, yo-yo, small Etch A Sketch and toys that light up or make noise, be sure to include extra batteries.
School supplies are also good choices, along with coloring books, crayons and markers, stamps and ink pad sets and solar calculators.
Hygiene items such as tooth brushes, toothpaste, combs, bar soap and washcloths are also good choices, along with hard candy, lollipops, mints, gum, toy jewelry, hair clips, ball caps, socks and sunglasses.
Do not include the following items: toy guns, knives or war-related items, chocolate of perishable food items, liquids of any kind (shampoo, lotion, bubbles etc.), medicines of any kind or breakable items, or books with words in them.
After the box is filled, put a $5 check in made payable to Samaritan's Purse to help with shipping costs, put a rubber band around the box and lid, and take it to Adamsville Baptist Church.
Trellis Phillips is the area corrdinator for Operation Christmas Child. She can be reached at 778-4150.