Christmas is arriving early all over Batesville, as a local church prepares to serve as a collection point for Operation Christmas Child.  Soon, with the help of Batesville volunteers, Batesville First Baptist Church will be brimming with festively wrapped shoe boxes full of gifts. 

 Through Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, local residents are packing shoe box gifts for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty. 

From Batesville, the shoe box gifts will be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary—sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camels, even dog sleds—to reach suffering children around the world.

“Through this project, anyone can be a part of giving love and hope in a shoe box,” said Katie Brewer, Operation Christmas Child relay center coordinator. “Those who help at the Batesville drop-off location find it fun to watch as gift-filled shoe boxes stack up that have been donated by our generous community.”

Packed shoeboxes can be brought to First Baptist November 16-22. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. On Sunday, gifts may be dropped off from 1-4 p.m.

In 2008, the Batesville area contributed 1,783 shoe box gifts to the Operation Christmas Child effort.

Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes made their way to Honduras when a local mission team traveled there in October.

This year, organizers hope to collect 2,000 gift-filled shoe boxes from families, kids, churches, schools and civic organizations in the area.

Anyone may participate. Suggested gifts include soft toys, tennis balls, finger puppets, puzzles, yo-yos, building blocks, small musical instruments, dolls, toy cars and trucks, pens and pencils, notepads, puzzle books, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair bruses, combs, bars of soap, caps, and necklaces.

Boxes should not be wrapped, but should be labeled for “boy” or “girl” and with the age for which the gifts are appropriate: 2-4 years, 5-9 years, and 10-14 years.

 Operation Christmas Child uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow your box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need.  To register shoe box gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 69 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.

Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (770) 777-9342 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org. 

National Collection Week is Nov. 16-23.