Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection underway

ORRINGTON, Maine (WABI) - As the holiday season approaches, many families and kids are giving back to children in need around the world through Operation Christmas Child.

Many churches, organizations, and individuals around Maine participate by preparing shoebox gifts filled with toys, hygiene items, and school supplies.

Those boxes head to distribution centers before reaching millions of children worldwide, many of whom live in war torn countries.

National Collection Week is here! Over 4,000 drop-off locations around the U.S. are opening today to collect millions of shoebox gifts. Tag us in your photos so we can see all the shoebox-packing & drop-off action happening!

Find your drop-off location: https://t.co/oYbhMydLA3 pic.twitter.com/k5untQTjVJ
— Operation Christmas Child (@OCC_shoeboxes) November 14, 2022

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 198 million gift filled shoeboxes to kids in 170 countries and territories.

“Children are so filled with joy and hope, and I know that firsthand from having gone to Togo Africa in 2017 and was able to do the distribution of the shoeboxes,” said Lynn Hilyard, Area Coordinator ME Central for Operation Christmas Child. “The things we take for granted that we have every day these children don’t have, so they’re very blessed by the things that we can include.”

It is National Collection Week.

More than 4,500 drop-off sites are now open.

This year, Operation Christmas Child will collect its 200-millionth shoebox!

Click here to ‘Build a Shoebox.’

Copyright 2022 WABI. All rights reserved.