Back in 1993 Samaritan’s Purse began collecting shoe boxes filled with gifts for children around the world.
Their goal at that at time was a thousand boxes and they ended up collecting 11-thousand from across the country.
Kathy Shetler at the Evangelical Church in Williams Lake, is one of several people helping to keep this annual Christmas tradition going, giving gifts to children who are either in war-torn countries or facing poverty.
Shetler noted that last year 436,290 shoe boxes came from Canada and 58,402 came from BC.
She added that people in Williams Lake were very generous last year supporting Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child by sending 452 boxes.
“The idea is you pick up a shoe box at most of the local churches or Kit and Kaboodle and you pack it with T-shirts, face clothes, toys, school supplies, toothbrushes, things that these kids don’t have any of. I’ve read the most favourite thing they received was a toothbrush. One 12-year-old said he had to use a stick to brush his teeth so he was really happy to get a toothbrush in his box.”
Items that cannot be packed are toothpaste, liquids, glass, and this is the last year they are going to be accepting bars of soap.
Shetler said this year’s collection dates are November 16th to 23rd.
“Right now we’re encouraging people to pack a shoe box which gives you time to collect your items, get them in the box, and then you bring the box during that week to the Evangelical Free Church on North 11th Avenue where we’ll collect them before sending them off to Calgary to be distributed worldwide.”
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