Local churches collecting gifts for Operation Christmas Child

Local churches are joining in a worldwide effort to make Christmas a little brighter this year.

Samaritan’s Purse will be accepting donations of gifts for children in need all over the world as part of its Operation Christmas Child effort.

Curbside collections will take place during the week of Nov. 15-22 in many locations throughout the Pittsburgh area and more than 4,000 locations worldwide. Local donation locations include Elfinwild Presbyterian Church in Glenshaw and Rolling Hills Church in Verona.

Operation Christmas Child began in 1993 and since then, more than 188 million gift-filled shoeboxes being delivered to children in over 160 countries and territories.

A shoebox gift is very much like it sounds. An empty shoebox is used and filled with items such as school supplies, hygiene items and most importantly, fun toys.

“We want to make sure every shoebox has what they call ‘the wow item.’ These would be a little bit bigger, and immediately fun, interactive and playable. Honestly, these shoeboxes are a tangible item of love. Many of these kids have never received a toy or a gift at all,” said Josh Kingsbury. He, along with his wife Nicole, are Area Coordinators for Operation Christmas Child in Allegheny County.

Ministry partners overseas will determine the distribution of the gifts, working with churches and other organizations, making sure they reach as many children as possible. The boxes go to more than 100 countries throughout the world and include Native American reservations in the United States.

“Processes are in place to make sure we reach as many children as possible,” said Kingsbury. “One of our initiatives is to find ways to focus on areas that are traditionally difficult to reach, such as the Pacific North Islands.”

Donation sites can be found at samaritanspurse.org.