Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Matthew 28:19
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Samaritan’s Purse currently works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. The Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child collects shoebox gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 232 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories. More than 11.9 million shoebox gifts were collected globally in 2024, 10.5 million from the U.S. alone. In 2025, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 12 million children. Over 519,000 volunteers worldwide—with more than 204,000 of those in the U.S.—are involved in collecting, shipping and distributing shoebox gifts. Delivered into the hands of children through local churches, every shoebox gift is an opportunity to share about Jesus Christ and God’s love.
Wilderness Lake Church has served as a drop off location for the National Annual Collection Week which is November 17-24 in 2025. Our team works throughout the year preparing for this magnificent event. Members contribute gifts and materials throughout the year. Many are beautiful handmade creations to delight a child and stir in them an interest in the Greatest Journey Discipleship program. We have a packing party in early November. Last year we made 300 shoe boxes towards the effort. Local churches and groups, as well as individuals bring show boxes to us during collection week. We pray over each box which are better know as gospel opportunities. Our Prayers are that each box will have safe passage to their intended destination and from there find the child for which He has intended. We place the boxes in cartons and at the end of the week transport them to a central location nearby where they are loaded onto a number of trailer trucks and taken to a regional center in Atlanta. From there it is off to the world and that special child!
Anyone can pack a shoebox. Individuals, families, churches and groups fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys, such as dolls or soccer balls. Participants 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. Learn how to pack a shoebox, view gift suggestions, get your Follow Your Box label and find the nearest drop-off location at samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through Follow Your Box and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. During National Collection Week (Nov. 17–24, 2025), Samaritan’s Purse will collect the gift-filled shoeboxes at over 4,700 drop-off locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
For more information see:
- Website: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/the-greatest-journey/
- Facebook: @OperationChristmasChild
- X (formerly Twitter): @occ_shoeboxes
- Instagram: @operationchristmaschild
