Operation Christmas Child’s West Central PA Area Team is seeking volunteers who will help spread hope globally.
By serving year-round, you will be part of a unique mission field that collects and delivers shoebox gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items to boys and girls in some of our world’s darkest and hardest-to-reach areas.
The gifts will share the “Good News and Great Joy” of Jesus Christ with children and their families in more than 100 countries. For many, it’s the first gift they have ever received.
Currently, the West Central PA Area is seeking community, student and church relations volunteers to serve in Clearfield and Jefferson counties.
Community relations volunteers are ambassadors within their local communities, and they engage and equip groups, businesses and civic organizations to become actively involved with Operation Christmas Child.
Student relations volunteers serve as an advocate for Operation Christmas Child in schools, universities and student organizations, so that young people become engaged in the ministry and have the opportunity to impact lives worldwide.
Church relations volunteers build and cultivate relationships with local Christian churches, work to mobilize and equip them to share the hope of Jesus Christ and help fulfill the Great Commission through Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child.
“Each year-round volunteer, participating church, group and individual shoebox packer is the heart and soul … driving Operation Christmas Child,” expresses Randy Riddle, senior director.
“Together, we are rallying around the opportunity and calling to serve Jesus in this way—with urgency to introduce more and more children to a loving God through His son Jesus Christ.”
Interested individuals must complete and submit an online application, which includes questions about their personal testimony, gifts and abilities and previous volunteer experience.
After the completion of the online volunteer application process, individuals will be contacted by West Central PA Volunteer Area Coordinator Shelly Rhoades to schedule an in-person interview.
Prior to selection, volunteers will be expected to agree to and sign the ministry’s statement of faith and volunteer waiver form.
Nearly 540,000 volunteers worldwide—with more than 220,000 of those in the United States—are involved in collecting, shipping and distributing shoebox gifts.
For more information or to apply for volunteer opportunities, please visit: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/volunteer-year-round/.
For more information or questions about local volunteer opportunities, individuals may also contact Rhoades by phone at 805-469-8245 or via e-mail at shell.rhoades@yahoo.com.
About Operation Christmas Child
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.
