What is Operation Christmas Child?
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. The mission is to provide local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We ship these simple gifts outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease.
Why a shoebox?
Shoebox gifts demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in
need around the world. By partnering with the local church worldwide, each
shoebox gift is a powerful tool for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
How do I pack a shoebox gift?
You can learn all about how to pack a shoebox gift. This includes what kind of box to use, which items can and can’t be included, how to label your gift, and where and when to drop it off near you. You can use any empty shoebox or shoebox-sized plastic container. Operation Christmas Child also has red and green preprinted boxes that are available here at Bible Baptist Church.
See
our lists of suggested items for
shoebox gifts and also learn which items should not be
included.
Gift Suggestions
Downloadable list of gift suggestions.
Want to check on a specific item? Use the Gift Look-up Tool.
Why do I need to include $10?
The $10 per shoebox is a suggested donation. This amount is critical to cover project costs involved in collecting, processing, and shipping your shoebox gifts to over 170 countries. It also provides for ministry materials such as The Greatest Gift Gospel Booklet and The Ministry Partner Guide. We encourage those who are unable to include $10 per box to consider asking a group in their church or a family member to sponsor this part of the shoebox gift. Learn more about what the $10 covers.
For easiest processing, we recommend you give your $10 suggested donation per shoebox online. To do this, Follow Your Box or visit our Ways to Give page. Or, if you have a copy of the How to Pack a Shoebox brochure—available from our free materials—use the enclosed postage-paid envelope to mail us a check. If none of these options work for you, you can always include your donation in your shoebox gift and it will be collected during processing.
You can discover the destination country of your shoebox gift by making your $10 per shoebox suggested donation online. Activate your shoebox tracking label at samaritanspurse.org/activate or print your own label by donating on our Labels Landing Page. Receiving countries vary from year to year. If you make your $10 per shoebox suggested donation online by either activating your shoebox tracking labels or ordering printable Follow Your Box tracking labels to attach to your gifts, you can discover the destination country of your shoebox gifts! A more complete list of receiving countries is available.
Where do I bring my box?
We collect our boxes here at Bible Baptist Church just before National Collection Week (the 3rd week in November each year). Then we take it to the central drop off location here in Traverse City. It is one of the thousands of drop-off locations across the United States. You can also physically drop off shoebox gifts year-round at any one of our Ministry Centers. Only our Boone and Charlotte locations are able to accept mailed gifts. For more drop-off information and addresses, visit our drop-off location landing page.
Thousands of drop-off locations open across the country during National Collection Week, the third week in November every year. You can also physically drop off shoebox gifts year-round at any one of our Ministry Centers. Only our Boone and Charlotte locations are able to accept mailed gifts. For more drop-off information and addresses, visit our drop-off location landing page.
Build a Shoebox Online (BASBO)
Build a Shoebox Online is a convenient way to pack your Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift right from home. Choose from our selections of toys and other fun items to include in your gift. Then, personalize it by adding your own letter and photo. For a suggested donation of $25 per gift, we’ll pack everything for you and send it on its way with the message of God’s love for a boy or girl in need around the world. You can build a shoebox online year-round, but keep in mind that shoeboxes built after December 31 will not count in the current year’s shoebox total. We usually have a Bible Baptist Church goal page every year!
Donate so others can build a box online
You can donate a certain number of online shoebox gifts and then others can have the experience of building a shoebox online without cost to them. Simply answer a few questions and let us know how many shoeboxes you want to provide. After you submit your payment information, you’ll receive two emails: first a receipt or confirmation email, and second an email with a shareable link to forward to others. That link unlocks the chance for your fellow church members, family, or friends to build a shoebox gift online free of charge, thereby sending Good News and great joy to boys and girls in need around the world!
What else happens at the outreach event?
As mentioned earlier, The Greatest Gift Gospel booklet, available in more than 100 languages, is given out alongside each shoebox gift. The booklet shares 11 Scripture stories in a child-friendly manner and invites children to follow Christ.
The Greatest Journey is a discipleship experience offered by local churches to many of the children who receive shoebox gifts. The 12-lesson program introduces boys and girls to a saving faith in Jesus and encourages them to grow as faithful followers. The program connects children to local churches who through discipling relationships, teach and nurture children in faith.
It takes $6 to provide a child the opportunity to participate in The Greatest Journey and receive discipleship materials, including a graduation certificate and New Testament written in the child’s language. The Greatest Journey is an investment not only in children, but also in the teachers and the local churches that will learn, grow, and continue to serve Christ with the momentum gained through the program. You can support The Greatest Journey, making disciples around the world through a monthly donation or one-time giving.
