Operation Christmas Child

News Desk,

It starts today! Multiple locations serving Maquoketa participants are opening to collect shoebox gifts—filled with fun toys, school supplies and personal care items—for Operation Christmas Child.

This city-wide effort to send God’s love to millions of boys and girls around the world through the Samaritan’s Purse project ends Monday, Nov. 25. Throughout the project’s National Collection Week, area shoebox donors will contribute to the 2024 global goal of reaching 12 million children.

Media Opportunities

• Share the press release below my signature.
• Find Drop-Off Locations serving your coverage area here.
• Share a step-by-step guide on How to Pack a Shoebox.
• Request an in-person, by-phone or virtual interview with year-round volunteer leadership aiming to collect shoebox gifts across Maquoketa.
• Media Resources

Best,

Molly Miller

SAMARITAN’S PURSE

Marketing/Media Relations Associate | OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
828-588-1999 | MMiller4@samaritan.org

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/occ 

P.O. BOX 3000 | BOONE, NC 28607

NEWSROOM

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/occnewsroom

for hi-res photos, PSAs, B-roll and more

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP-OFF LOCATIONS NOW OPEN

Maquoketa, IA., Nov. 18, 2024— Children in need are being blessed this Christmas season through the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child. Individuals, families and groups have the opportunity to pack a shoebox gift filled with fun toys, school supplies, and personal care items and drop them off now during National Collection Week, Nov. 18 – 25. There are more than 4,700 drop-off locations open around the country.

Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts to children worldwide for more than three decades. In 2024, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 12 million children. The project of Samaritan’s Purse partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage.

“Samaritan’s Purse is committed to taking the Gospel to hard-to-reach places—whether its responding to a disaster or sharing God’s love through the power of a simple shoebox,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “You can show kids in need the true meaning of Christmas this year through a shoebox gift. Please prayerfully consider packing a shoebox this year.”

Participants can use the online lookup 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. Signs at each location will identify the drop off.

For more information, call 816-622-8316, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Those who prefer the convenience of 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.

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, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.