By Samaritan’s Purse

 Chino— Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley area residents will gather to kick off the Samaritan’s Purse project’s collection season—packing more than 30,000 shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items. These gift-filled shoeboxes will contribute to the project’s goal of reaching more than 11 million children in Jesus’ Name.

The San Gabriel Valley East Area Operation Christmas Child team invites you to kick off the Operation Christmas Child collection season at their 8th annual countdown event on Saturday, September 29 at Inland Hills Church (14670 Ramona Ave., Chino 91710). The event starts at 10:00 a.m.

Information, updates and Operation Christmas Child supplies will also be provided to equip volunteers to pack shoebox gifts and encourage others to do the same. Shoebox packer Grayson Wade will be sharing about his recent distribution trip to the Philippines. Children are welcome

The Chino drop-off location will be the first stop on a journey across the globe for thousands of gifts packed by local families. Together with the church worldwide, Operation Christmas Child will deliver these gifts to children in need overseas using whatever means necessary—boats, airplanes, trains and even elephants.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (714) 432-7030 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. 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 is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is 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 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.