AREA RESIDENTS COLLECT GIFTS FOR SAMARITAN'S PURSE

AND THE WORLD'S LARGEST CHRISTMAS PROJECT

Nov. 16-23: Bethalto Collection Center Hopes to Gather 11,000

Gift-Filled Shoe Boxes for Hurting Children Overseas

(BETHALTO, IL, October 26, 2009) It looks like Santa has workshops popping up all over the Riverbend area, as local businesses, churches and homes prepare to serve as collection points for Operation Christmas Child. Soon, with the help of volunteers from the Bethalto Collection Center, the sites will be brimming with festively wrapped shoe boxes full of gifts.

Through Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest Christmas project, area residents are packing shoe box gifts for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty. From Bethalto, the shoe box gifts will 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.

Operation Christmas Child uses tracking technology that allows donors to "follow your box" to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoe box gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org .

LOCAL COLLECTION SITE:
First Baptist Church
201 S Moreland Rd
Bethalto, IL 62010
(800) 665-3318

Hours:
Mon., Nov. 16 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
Tues. - Sat., Nov. 17-21 - 10:00am - 2:00pm
Sun., Nov. 22 - 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Mon., Nov. 23 - 8:00am - 2:00pm


In 2008, the riverbend/metro east area contributed 10,629 boxes to the Operation Christmas Child effort. This year, organizers hope to collect 11,000 gift-filled shoe boxes from families, kids, churches, schools and civic organizations in the area.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan's Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 68 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET INVOLVED:

PREPARE-Enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take part in creating shoe box gifts for needy children worldwide.

PACK-Fill shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items, hard candy and a letter of encouragement. Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org.

PROCESS-Sign up to join Operation Christmas Child volunteers at the collection site in Bethalto as part of the effort to prepare millions of shoe box gifts for delivery to underprivileged kids on six continents.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child:
(800) 665-3318
www.samaritanspurse.org