Once again this year, Cornerstone Community Church is serving as a collection site for “Operation Christmas Child,” an outreach also known as the “world’s largest Christmas project.” County residents are invited to pack shoeboxes for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, disease, famine and poverty. On October 31, dozens of shoeboxes and instructions were distributed by Cornerstone Community Church members. A second distribution of shoeboxes is to be held at Johnson’s Foods on November 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Residents wanting to participate may also find instructions online at www.samaritanspurse.org.
According to Elizabeth Davis of Samaritan’s Purse, the evangelical relief organization that began Operation Christmas Child in 1993, the shoe box giftswill be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary—sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camels, even dog sleds—to reach suffering children around the world.
“Through this project, anyone can be part of giving love and hope in a shoe box,” said Valerie Gustafson of Grand Marais, the coordinator of the Cook County Operation Christmas Child dropoff site. “It is amazing to see the filled shoe boxes stack up that have been donated by our generous community.”
In 2008, Cornerstone Church collected and contributed 107 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child. This year, Gustafson and the other organizers hope to collect 150 gift-filled boxes from families, kids, churches, schools, and civic organizations in the area. Filled shoe boxes can be dropped off at Cornerstone Community Church at 1 Cedar Grove Lane in Grand Marais, Monday, November 16 – Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or Sunday, November 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. If you would like more information on how you can take part, call (218) 387- 2090.
For donors who would like to follow their Operation Christmas Child package, the organization uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow the box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoebox gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www. samaritanspurse.org.
Since its origination, Operation Christmas Child, a Samaritan’s Purse project headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 69 million gift-filled shoeboxes to needy children in 130 countries.
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