Mission accomplished for Operation Christmas Child
Local residents have generously opened their hearts to those less fortunate again this year. With Operation Christmas Child over for another year, there were just under 1,900 shoeboxes collected locally.
‘Even after collection ended Sunday, we had boxes coming in,’ said local program organizer and humanitarian Wendy Curran. ‘As always, people were so giving. It was wonderful to see children bringing in shoeboxes and listening to their stories. I want to thank all those who donated and the volunteers. Together they made this year another success.’
Although this year’s collection did not reach the goal of 3,000 or the staggering number collected last year, which was 2,210, it did exceed the 2005 collection number by 829.
Despite the smaller number, the year is considered a success. Each and every shoebox donated will go to a child who didn’t expect to get anything. Local donations will result in 1,870 smiling faces this Christmas.
‘Making sure every child has something for Christmas is what we strive to do,’ said Curran. ‘Yes, the numbers seem disappointing but we shouldn’t be concerned with just the numbers. The joy those 1,870 children will feel when they open up their shoebox is what matters.’
Operation Christmas Child, a program of Samaritan’s Purse, is a global Christian-based project which supplies impoverished children throughout the world, including the United States, with a touch of Christmas spirit.
Local volunteers joined Curran when she traveled to Atlanta’s collection center. They spent the day going through the shoeboxes and packaging them for delivery around the world.