Faith Community Church will host a celebration Saturday, Sept. 28, to kick off the expected 15,000 shoebox gifts that southwest Kansas residents will collect this year for needy children overseas. The event for Operation Christmas Child starts at 9:30 a.m. at the church, located at 293 West Barton County Road, Great Bend.
Faith Community Church is one of many locations where donors can drop off shoeboxes packed with toys, school supplies and hygiene items from Nov. 18-25. From the drop-off sites, these gifts packed by thousands of volunteers will be processed, prepared and delivered to hurting children overseas using whatever means necessary – boats, airplanes, trains and even elephants, according to a spokesman for Samaritan’s Purse.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse headed by Franklin Graham, has collected more than 100 million shoebox gifts since 1993. Through simple gifts and a message of hope, children learn they are loved and not forgotten. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect another 9.8 million gift-filled shoeboxes in 2013, with over 15,000 coming from southwest Kansas.   
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to find the nearest drop-off site, call 828-278-1897 or visit samaritanspurse.org.