October 28, 2023—Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year. For 30 years, Collin County families have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world. One of these gifts reached Moises in El Salvadore when he was a young boy. Moises shares in this video how the simple gift had a life-changing impact.

The Collin County South chapter of Operation Christmas Child wants to encourage residents as they kick off the upcoming collection season to fill more than 25,000 shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and personal care items—contributing to the global goal of reaching 11 million children in Jesus’ Name.

During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 13 – 20, residents can bring gift-filled shoeboxes to multiple Collin County drop-off locations or scan   

For more information, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those 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. Many shoeboxes built online go to hard-to-reach countries. 

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Operation Christmas Child will celebrate its 30th year of ministry!