Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are being collected at several area sites.
This is the children's ministry segment of Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical disaster relief organization.
Franklin Graham, CEO of Samaritans Purse/Operation Christmas Child, is the son of the well-known evangelist Billy Graham.
Churches, community groups and individuals pack shoeboxes with hygiene items, toys and school supplies to be sent to poor and many disaster affected children around the world along with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Shoebox Collection Week is always the third week in November, just before Thanksgiving each year.
Last year locally, 63,472 shoebox gifts were collected and sent around the world. The U.S. and nine other countries collected and sent more than 11.4 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 100 countries.
Collection sites this year include:
- Cross View Baptist Church, 3268 N. Farm to Market Road 1397, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The one exception in collection times is 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.
- Northeast Texas collection points are First Baptist churches in Jefferson, Hughes Springs, DeKalb, Bogata and Calvary Chapel in Mount Pleasant and Paris as well as New Beginnings Fellowship in Sulphur Springs.
- Southwest Arkansas collection sites are First Baptist churches in Ashdown, Horatio and Nashville.
- Southeast Oklahoma shoebox drop-off site is Faith Christian Fellowship in Broken Bow.
Visitsamaritanspurse.org/
operationchristmaschild for information on collection hours for all drop-off sites and other details, or call 903-908-5585 or 903-277-0124.