CORRECTED, 10:45 a.m. Saturday to clarify the location of the event.
By LINN ANN HUNTINGTON
Messiah Lutheran Church, 2000 Main, is having a shoe box packing party for Operation Christmas Child at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15.
Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization headquartered in Boone, N.C. Each year thousands of individuals pack shoe boxes with toys, school supplies and hygiene items that are sent to needy children around the world to demonstrate God’s love for them in a tangible way.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 178 million gift-filled shoe boxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.
National Collection Week is Nov. 16-23. Donors will be greeted at curbside drop-offs by volunteers wearing personal protection equipment.
Those unable to attend the packing party may still pack gifts online. Operation Christmas Child’s Build a Shoe Box Online program provides families and groups a creative way to rally together around a common goal, said Rachel Albin of Hays, Northwest Kansas area director. That program can be accessed at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/.
More information about the packing party is available by calling Stacy Stults at (785) 650-3293.