News release
Northwest Kansas residents set a new record for the number of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes they collected in 2021.
That’s the report from Rachel Albin of Hays, northwest Kansas area coordinator. The number of shoeboxes collected in 2021 was 8,921. That surpassed the former record of 8,715 boxes collected in 2019.
Albin said the 2021 total represents 8,809 shoeboxes physically collected during the National Collection Week in November 2021 and 112 shoeboxes built online by northwest Kansas residents.
Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization headquartered in Boone, N.C. Each year volunteers pack simple shoeboxes with small toys, school supplies, and personal hygiene items. These boxes are then collected and distributed to children in need around the world.
In many instances, this is the first gift the child has ever received. Inside each shoebox is a pamphlet telling the child about Jesus Christ and how much he loves the child. For many children, this is also the first time they have ever heard about Jesus.
The Lower Midwest Region of the United States, of which Kansas is a part, packed 718,291 boxes in 2021, a 15 percent increase over 2020, Albin said.
Worldwide, more than 10.5 million boxes were packed, with more than 9 million of those from the United States, she said.
Most of the boxes packed in northwest Kansas went to children in Mexico, Albin said. Some also went to Zambia and Native American reservations in New Mexico.
In an email to volunteers in northwest Kansas, Albin said, “(I’m) praising with you what God has done in and through us each to continue sharing God's love and word through these shoebox gifts.”
More information is available HERE.