For the sixth year, Milan Baptist Church has partnered with the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child, to make a difference in the lives of children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. The annual project takes empty shoeboxes and turns them into gifts—filled with fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items—that will be delivered to children in need this Christmas.

Milan Baptist Church packed 1,279 shoebox gifts this year to send to children around the world in the name of Jesus – a record number for the local church. The church collects items year-round for the project and has packing parties throughout the year. The final packing party was held in November with 100+ volunteers, including volunteers from neighboring churches and from Union County Cub Scouts Pack #401, who gathered to pack over 600 shoebox gifts.

Milan also serves as the county’s drop off site and collected a total of 1769 shoeboxes from local churches, community groups and individuals during National Collection Week, November 12-19. These shoeboxes will contribute to the Operation Christmas Child goal of collecting enough shoebox gifts to reach 11.4 million children this year.

“Operation Christmas Child is a way to spread the story about Jesus and His love,” says Holly Simmons, Drop Off Team Leader for Milan Baptist Church. “A shoebox gives hope to children who do not have a lot.”

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, to learn of year-round volunteer opportunities or to view gift suggestions, call Amie Winstead at (865) 742-9701 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Shoeboxes can be packed and sent year-round to Samaritan’s Purse headquarters at 801 Bamboo Road, Boone, NC 28607. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

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 150 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.