Volunteers gathered at the Smith Complex in Elderton to collect and pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.
Although the collection of shoeboxes filled with items for children in third world countries is still more than a week away, groups in eastern Armstrong County have already collected more than 1,500 boxes.
Known as Operation Christmas Child (OCC), it is an annual event that was started in 1993 by Samaritan’s Purse – a relief agency led by Franklin Graham, son of the late Billy Graham. Church groups and civic organizations, as well as individuals fill a shoebox with suggested items needed by children at three different age groups. The shoeboxes are brought to collection centers that pack them into large cartons for transport.
A gigantic towering Christmas tree was created out of the shoeboxes that were received in Elderton. Volunteers stood around the tree as prayers were offered for children who would be receiving the boxes.
In Elderton, teams from area churches and individual donors converged last week at the Smith Complex to pack shoeboxes and prepare for shipping.
The shoebox cartons were then transported to the collection center in Kittanning at Family-Life Church.
Armstrong County OCC Collection Coordinator Jan Foster said her team has already been preparing for this year’s collection that officially starts November 18 and will continue through November 24.
“It’s a ‘Samaritan’s Purse’ activity that makes (available) a shoebox for needy children around the world that contains school, hygiene (supplies) and toys,” Foster said.
It is no small fete as boxes come in one at a time and as many as 200 at a time.
“We did almost 3,000 last year, so they are projecting for us to collect 3,000 or more this year,” Foster said.
The collection center is done in the social hall of Family-Life Church, which is located in the rear of 140 South Jefferson Street in downtown Kittanning.
Collection hours this year will be 9AM-4PM, Monday, November 18 through Sunday, November 24. Beginning at 4PM on November 24, shoeboxes will be loaded onto a truck for transport to the processing facility in Boone, NC.
Foster said she has brochures describing how to prepare the shoebox. There are certain items not suitable for children in other countries, including toy war figures, toothpaste and candy. The brochure lists such items and has a tag to be affixed to the box indicating whether it is for a boy or girl, and the age category. There is also a $9 postage fee per shoebox.
Brook McGinnis (kneeling) and Bob Wilson, both from Graystone Presbyterian Church in Indiana, PA help to move cartons with shoeboxes from a horse trailer into the Family-Life Church area.
Foster shared that in 2018, Pennsylvania collected more shoeboxes than any other state in the nation.
For more information about Operation Christmas Child, call Foster at 724.548.8000 x8500.