Army of shoebox stuffers mobilizing for world’s kids

Hundreds of Panola County residents are on a mission to make a lasting impact on children in need. They are looking beyond their own wish lists and packing shoeboxes for boys and girls around the world—for many of the children, it will be the first gift they have ever received.
Nov. 14 – 21, Panola County residents will transform hundreds of empty shoeboxes into gifts of hope filled with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will deliver these shoebox gifts to children overseas living in extreme poverty or affected by war, disease and natural disaster.
“The shoebox gifts donated by Panola County volunteers will serve as tangible expressions of God’s love to children living in poverty overseas,” said Panola County volunteer Linda Pitcock, who has participated in Operation Christmas Child for several years. “Anyone is welcome to pack a shoebox and help a child facing difficult circumstances feel loved and not forgotten.”
Panola County residents are not alone in their effort to help children around the world. More than 150,000 volunteers including families, churches and other groups are linking arms across the country to contribute to the largest Christmas project of its kind.
In 2016, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach 12 million children, with 23,500 coming from the Northwest Mississippi area. In Panola County, Calvary Baptist Church will serve as a drop-off location for shoebox gift donations November 14-21.
Hours of collection are: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m; Monday night, 5-7 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 21, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Churches, civic groups and businesses all over the county are participating, according to Pitcock. Her own church, Batesville First Baptist, has already collected 700 filled boxes, with more coming next week.
Among other groups participating are the Panola Sheriff’s Department, Batesville Rotary Club, Batesville Lions Club, Batesville Woman’s Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 662-292-1052 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. By going online to give the suggested donation of $7 per shoebox gift, participants can follow their box to discover where in the world it will be delivered. They can also pack a shoebox gift online.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 135 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories.