Operation Christmas Child aims to express God’s love through gifts to children around world

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Operation Christmas Child is a program that shows the power of the holiday to children in need around the world using something simple – a shoe box.

Samaritan’s Purse runs the annual program, which partners with churches to get these shoe boxes full of gifts to children who need them. According to the organization, since 1993, more than 232 million children have received an Operation Christmas Child shoe box.

Each box is filled with a mix of essential and fun items that are delivered to children in several countries.

Leah Yocom, the Operation Christmas Child Area Coordinator, said that these gifts aren’t just a way to bring the holiday spirit to these kids.

“It’s a tangible way to express God’s love by giving a gift. Some of these children have never even received a gift, but it’s really about sharing the Gospel,” she said.

If you’d like to pack a shoe box, you can find a full explainer on the Samaritan Purse website. They ask that you fill it with a gift like a stuffed animal, soccer ball or something else like that, as well as other fun toys, school supplies and personal care items.

“Always put some hygiene products in there. Now you can’t put soap or toothpaste, but you can put a tooth brush, wash cloth, hair brush, combs – things like that. We always want someone to put a wow item in there. And what that is, is a specific toy. A baby doll for a girl, or even a soccer ball for a boy or a girl,” Yocom said.

You can also find drop-off locations on their website.

Over the weekend, Alex Nsengimana, who grew up in Rwanda, will be in the Tennessee Valley sharing the story of how Operation Christmas Child impacted him when he received a box while at an orphanage. He will be speaking at Hamilton First Baptist Church and Killen First Baptist Church on Saturday, and Highland Baptist Church in Florence on Sunday.