Submitted
The numbers are in!
Operation Christmas Child announces that individuals in Northwest Kansas packed 7,130 shoeboxes during the November 2020 Collection Week. Build a Shoebox Online totals were 133 shoeboxes, for a grand total of 7,263, said Rachel Albin, Northwest Kansas area coordinator
Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief agency headquartered in Boone, N.C. Each year thousands of individuals across the country pack shoeboxes with small toys, school supplies and hygiene items.
These boxes are then collected and shipped to countries around the world where they are distributed to children in need. For many of these children, this is the first present they have ever received. Each shoebox also contains a pamphlet in the child’s own language telling the child about the love of Jesus Christ.
Albin reported that the Lower Midwest Region, which includes Kansas, collected 623,408 shoeboxes. The United States collected more than 7.8 million boxes. Worldwide, more than 9.1 million shoeboxes were packed.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic presented challenges for volunteer teams across the country, Albin said, and resulted in no-contact curbside drop-off of shoeboxes at collection sites.
“Though last year was very different, and we had to be flexible and creative to continue our mission of sharing the Gospel through shoebox gifts, I am so very honored to serve alongside each of you,” Albin said in her report to Northwest Kansas volunteers. “I want to commend you for your vision and faithfulness to the Lord. We are still focused on the mission of sharing God's love with every child throughout the world.”
More information about Operation Christmas Child is available at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.