Operation Christmas Child

What is Operation Christmas Child?

This annual project enables caring individuals, families, schools, churches, businesses, and other organisations to fill ordinary shoe boxes with small toys, school supplies, sweets, and other gifts for needy children around the world. Operation Christmas Child sends a message of hope to children in need around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes. Operation Christmas Child is the world's largest children's Christmas project. Since 1990 the project has brought the joy of Christmas to more than 60 million boys and girls throughout the world. Last year we sent 1.30 million shoe boxes from the UK to children in hospitals, orphanages, Internally Displaced Persons camps, homeless shelters and impoverished neighbourhoods.

Your gift is powerful

Your shoe box will make a child feel special and valued, and let them know that you care about them. Choosing gifts and then wrapping and filling a shoe box is a fun and rewarding activity for all the family – especially when you know these gifts are going to be used and treasured.

From you to a child in need

Your shoe box will be hand delivered to a child in need, asking nothing from them in return. All boxes are given to the neediest children regardless of nationality, political background or religious beliefs. Operation Christmas Child empowers local overseas partners to ensure that your shoe boxes are delivered with the highest levels of integrity and respect. Where appropriate and in culturally sensitive ways, our local overseas partners will make available a booklet of Bible stories, which gives a message of hope and includes an explanation of the true meaning of Christmas – God's gift of His Son, Jesus.

Banner Cross Methodist Church has supported this project for a number of years, with more boxes being collected each year. Each year leaflets are ordered and are made available for anyone wishing to fill a shoe box to be sent to a needy child at Christmas.

For further details of this project and the other work of Samaritan's Purse log onto www.samaritanspurse.uk.com.