Churches across the Valley are participating as collection sites for Operation Christmas Child, a charity drive that donates shoeboxes full of gifts and necessitites to children in need across the globe.

National collection week for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, began Monday as nearly 5,000 drop-off locations open across the country.

Individuals, families and groups across Arizona have the opportunity to pack a shoebox gift filled with toys, school supplies and personal care items for children in need and drop them off now during National Collection Week, Nov. 17-24.

Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts to children worldwide for more than three decades. In 2025, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect shoeboxes throughout Arizona to help with the global goal to reach another 12 million children. The project of Samaritan’s Purse partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these gifts to children in need.

Children celebrate opening their shoe boxes with Christmas gifts from the Operation Christmas Child, a program by Samaritan's Purse.

(Courtesy Samaritan's Purse)

“Every shoebox gift is an opportunity to tell a boy or girl that God loves them. That’s why we do what we do,” stated Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, in a news release. 

Participants can use the locator tool to find the nearest drop-off location and hours of operation as they make plans to drop off their shoebox gifts. It is searchable by city or ZIP code and signs at each location will identify the drop off.

Those who prefer 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.

Editor's note: The above was republished from a Samaritan's Purse news release.