Operation Christmas Child’s West Central PA Area Team is seeking a church partner in the Punxsutawney area.
The church will help send hope to millions of children in some of the darkest areas of the world as part of the Samaritan’s Purse shoebox collection project.
The project collects and delivers shoebox gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items for boys and girls in need.
For many of the children, it’s the first gift they have ever received and it becomes a tangible expression of God’s love for them.
The project collects the gift-filled shoeboxes during National Collection Week, Nov. 13–20, 2023, at more than 4,500 drop-off locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
This local church partner—supported by the West Central PA Area Team—will prayerfully select a team leader and enter this unique mission field as a Jefferson County drop-off location.
Across the United States, Operation Christmas Child collected over 9.3 million shoebox gifts in 2022. Combined with those collected from partnering countries, it’s now sending nearly 10.6 million shoebox gifts to children worldwide.
Through three decades of generous donors, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories since 1993.
This year, the ministry delivered its milestone 200 millionth shoebox, which was packed on a country-wide tour and then hand-delivered to a young girl in war-torn Ukraine in January.
Since 2009, more than 35.4 million children have participated in the 12-lesson discipleship course, The Greatest Journey.
More than 24.9 million children have graduated from this program with over 17.5 million boys and girls making decisions for Christ.
In 2023, Samaritan’s Purse also marks the 50 millionth child discipled through The Greatest Journey and previously The Mailbox Club.
This year, shoeboxes from western and central Pennsylvania are reaching children in places like Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Ukraine, Malawi, South Africa and The Philippines.
For more information or questions, church leaders may contact Shelly Rhoades, West Central PA volunteer area coordinator, by phone at 805-469-8245 or via e-mail at shell.rhoades@yahoo.com.
