Gifts collected for needy children worldwide

Gifts collected for needy children worldwide

By Community Impact Newspaper Staff Tuesday, 10 November 2009

GEORGETOWN — Operation Christmas Child, an annual project to collect and distribute gifts for needy children around the world, is seeking Central Texas volunteers to get involved in this season’s donation drive.

National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child runs from Nov. 16-23, when more than 2,400 locations spanning all 50 states and staffed by thousands of volunteers will be open to collect gifts, which should fit inside a shoebox, for disadvantaged children.

Organizers hope to collect more than 8 million personalized, gift-filled boxes, which will be packed, shipped and hand-delivered to children in some 100 countries affected by natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has hand-delivered more than 69 million shoebox gifts to needy children in more than 120 countries. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. After National Collection Week, shoebox gifts may be mailed year-round to Samaritan’s Purse headquarters, 801 Bamboo Road, Boone, N.C., 28607.

To find a drop-off site in the Austin area, use the Operation Christmas Child ZIP code locator found at www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Drop_Off_Locations or call 251-3052.

How to pack a shoebox gift:

• Find an empty shoebox. You may wrap it—lid separately—but wrapping is not required.
• Decide whether your gift will be for a boy or girl and choose an age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14.
• Fill your shoebox with a variety of gifts, such as school supplies, toys, hygiene items, clothes, hard candy, personal notes and family photos.
• Enclose $7 or more to help cover shipping and other project costs.
• Complete instructions are available on the Samaritan’s Purse website.

Drop-off centers:

Baptist Student Ministry Building
University of Texas Campus
474-1429
2204 San Antonio St., Austin

Crestview Baptist Church
454-6641
7600 Woodrow Ave., Austin

Great Hills Baptist Church
343–7763
10500 Jollyville Road, Austin

St. Luke’s on the Lake Episcopal
266-2455
5600 N. RM 620, Austin

Teri Road Baptist Church
444-6009
1844 Teri Road, Austin

Calvary Chapel of Austin
847-9035
1601 W. Pecan St., Pflugerville

Crestview Baptist – Georgetown
863-6576
2300 Williams Drive, Georgetown

Fellowship Baptist – Liberty Hill
515-5579
3600 RR 1869, Liberty Hill

First Baptist – Pflugerville
251-3052
801 W. Pecan St. (at the corner of 10th Street), Pflugerville

First Baptist – Taylor
352-3144
701 Davis St., Taylor

High Point Fellowship - Cedar Park
260-5449
600 W. New Hope Road, Cedar Park

St. Peter’s Lutheran - Elgin
285-4844
401 E. 8th St., Elgin

Spicewood Baptist
830-693-4782
7903 CR 404, Spicewood

Triple 7 Baptist Fellowship - Killeen
254-228-6001
1501 Riverside Drive, Killeen