Operation Christmas Child, the Samaritan’s Purse project that started in 1993, will kick its Four Corners donation effort into gear Nov. 13, and drop-off locations will be open in Durango, Bayfield, Cortez, Pagosa Springs and Farmington to receive gift-filled shoe boxes through Nov. 20.
The region collected 4,684 shoe boxes last year, but this year’s donation goal is an optimistic 6,000, said Sally Rowland, area coordinator for the Southwest.
The project extends far beyond the Four Corners, however. Nearly 5,000 drop-off locations in the United States will accept shoe boxes stuffed with school supplies, hygiene items and toys during “National Collection Week,” to be delivered to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine around the world. It isn’t just a national effort, either – Canada, England, Germany, Austria, Finland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are countries that have joined to create the international outreach seen currently.
Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 146 million gift-filled shoe boxes, and hopes to reach 12 million children this year globally.
Durango is the central drop-off location for the Four Corners, which means that, on Nov. 20, all regional donations will be trucked into town, combined, then trucked to Denver to be processed, repackaged and distributed for ministry partners in recipient countries.
“We have relationships with more than 160 countries, the largest project of this kind, and each year a little over 100 of them will receive shoe boxes,” Rowland said. She has been with the organization for six years, started as a volunteer in Durango after moving in 2014 from Kentucky, and stepped into a project team leader position at Grace Church two years ago. “Just like I’m on a year-round team here, there are year-round teams in the receiving countries, because volunteers in the U.S. don’t go around and deliver them. It’s not a ‘drop a box and run’ type of donation.”
Operation Christmas Child representatives choose ministry partners in receiving countries carefully to make sure each box reaches a child in need. Countries have started to create regional breakdowns for distribution, which all starts with an outreach program, training book, materials and education.
Community members can buy plastic or cardboard boxes from the organization, or fill their own shoe boxes with items, and drop them off during scheduled times at the location in their area. Donations, no matter what they arrive in or how they’re packaged, will join the contribution if the items included are valid, which slows down the process but the extra work is worth it.
Some items that people have packed in shoe boxes in the past include school supplies, clothing, shoes, shirts, underwear, socks, toys, cups, washcloths, toothbrushes, handmade items (Grace Church makes jump-ropes out of braided old shirts, for example), and fun and lovable items, such as a picture or note to the child that tells them where and who the items came from.
“Sometimes that has the biggest impact. These are children who have probably never, ever received a gift in their life,” Rowland said.
Not everything that helps will be accepted; customs will not accept anything with an expiration date on it. For instance, no toothpaste, food, candy, seeds, etc.
Each processing center in the U.S. delivers donations to a different part of the world. For example, the center in Denver, for the most part, ships shoe boxes to Mexico and Native American reservations on home turf, though special trips overseas, and a couple to South and Central America, have been known to take place, depending on where donations are needed. The project is a Christian relief and evangelism organization, headed by Franklin Graham, which means that most donation centers are churches. However, a handful of schools, community centers, scouting organizations, and partner companies, such as American Heritage Girls, Hobby Lobby, Chick-fil-A, Hershon Family Entertainment and Upward Sports, are also involved.
The size and scope of the outreach, and the fact that it happens successfully every year, is downright impressive. However, one question remains: Why does Operation Christmas Child happen each year?
“Because it really makes a difference in people’s lives,” Rowland said. It continues to give those who have never been treated well another lens to view the world through, which is sometimes the most meaningful thing one person can do for another.
Durango and Bayfield drop-off locations and opening hours include:
First United Methodist Church, 2917 Aspen Drive: Nov. 13, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Nov. 14, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Nov. 15, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Nov. 16, noon-4 p.m.; Nov. 17, noon-4 p.m.; Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-noon; Nov. 19, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Nov. 20, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.Calvary Presbyterian Church, 89 E. Mill St., in Bayfield: Nov. 13: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Nov. 14: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Nov. 15: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Nov. 16: noon-4 p.m.; Nov. 17: noon-3 p.m.; Nov. 18: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Nov. 19: noon-2 p.m.; Nov. 20: 9 a.m.-noon.Donations can also be dropped off at Rock Springs Community Church in Cortez, CrossRoad Christian Fellowship in Pagosa Springs and Calvary Chapel in Farmington.
For more information and gift suggestions, call (303) 745-9179 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.
fstone@durangoherald.com
