Packing party to collect supplies for needy children around the world

Operation Christmas Child Northwest will host a community packing party Sept. 21 to kick off the expected 53,000 shoebox gifts to be collected from the Puget Sound community for hurting children worldwide this 2013 season. All contributions will go toward the cost to fill and ship shoebox gifts.

August 30, 2013 3:22 pm

 

Operation Christmas Child Northwest will host a community packing party Sept. 21 to kick off the expected 53,000 shoebox gifts to be collected from the Puget Sound community for hurting children worldwide this 2013 season. All contributions will go toward the cost to fill and ship shoebox gifts.

Shoeboxes are filled with school supplies, hygiene items and toys then hand-delivered to children around the world using whatever means necessary – sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, boats, elephants, even dog sleds.

The packing party will be from 1-3 p.m. at Eastside Christian School, 14615 SE 22nd St., Bellevue.

Items needed include:

  • School Supplies: Pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
  • Toys: Small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky, etc.
  • Hygiene Items: Toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.
  • Other Items: T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries)

Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse headed by Franklin Graham, has collected more than 100 million shoebox gifts since 1993.

All donations can be sent to the Northwest Regional Office at 1117 Broadway Plaza, Suite 502, Tacoma, WA 98402. To schedule a pick-up for all items, contact Nhung Hurst, Northwest Regional Manager, at 253-572-1155 or at nhurst@samaritan.org.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 253- 572-1155 or visit samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week for gift-filled shoe boxes is Nov.18-25.However, shoe box gifts are collected all year at the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.