PRESS RELEASE
Canadians Invited to Bless Children in Need with Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gifts
National Collection Week —when all boxes are to be at drop-off locations—is Nov. 14-20
CALGARY, AB: October 11, 2022—Canada’s Canada’s 2022 Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection season is underway. Individuals, families, churches, businesses, sports teams, and community groups are now packing shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items, plus personal notes and photos, to be delivered to children in need around the world.
Operation Christmas Child is an annual initiative of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization that works in more than 100 countries. Last year, Canadians filled more than 413,000 shoeboxes with gifts that shared God’s love and hope with struggling children in West Africa and Central America. As the world struggles to recover from the economic effects of COVID-19, children in these regions (plus those in war-torn Ukraine, who will receive Canadian shoeboxes this year) need joy more than ever.
Thanks to all the items that Canadians lovingly put in their shoeboxes, and the $10-per-box they donate to cover shipping and other program costs, Samaritan’s Purse is able to deliver the boxes to children around the world living in the midst of poverty, disease, war, and natural disaster.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed almost 200 million shoebox gifts in more than 100 countries.
“It seems the world’s greatest need over the past few years has been hope,” said Kendra Shields, acting director of Operation Christmas Child. “This is the essence of Operation Christmas Child. Every shoebox gift is an opportunity for a child to learn that he or she matters to Canadians and most importantly, matters to God. That’s why I urge everyone to help as many children in need as possible by packing shoeboxes.”
National Shoebox Collection Week is Nov. 14-20: Each gift-filled shoebox packed, donated, and delivered to one of hundreds of drop-off locations throughout Canada by Nov. 20 will make a long journey into the arms of a child in need. Canadians can also pack boxes online at PackABox.ca.
About Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ’s biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Like that Good Samaritan, who found a beaten man and helped restore him, we aid victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. Besides Operation Christmas Child, our work includes providing safe water, vocational skills, and agricultural supplies and training to families in the developing world. Visit SamaritansPurse.ca for more information.
News Media Contact:
To interview a local, national, or international representative of Operation Christmas Child, to obtain information about shoebox events, or to locate shoebox drop-off locations, please contact:
Frank King, news media relations manager, Samaritan’s Purse Canada
1.800.303.1269 or cell: 403.990.0161 fking@samaritan.ca
News Media Resources: Operation Christmas Child radio, TV, and general media kits are here. To learn more, including suggestions of what to put in shoeboxes, please visit SamaritansPurse.ca/OCC.
Operation Christmas Child media kit
Operation Christmas Child TV partner kit
Operation Christmas Child radio partner kit
Operation Christmas Child photos
Operation Christmas Child videos
Operation Christmas Child b-roll
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, more than 198 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.
