GREENSBORO, N.C. — Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham, is holding it's Annual "Operation Christmas Child Project."
The mission of the charitable campaign 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."
During Operation Christmas Child's National Collection Week Nov. 18-25, people will be collecting shoebox gifts at 16 drop-off locations in Greensboro.
The Samaritan's Purse project, partnering with churches worldwide, will deliver the gifts to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine.
The Greensboro Area Team volunteers hope to collect more than 28,000 shoebox gifts during the week.
"We believe these simple gifts have the ability to send a tangible message of hope to children facing difficult circumstances," said Greensboro volunteer Walt York. "It is exciting to see the Greensboro community come together to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with millions of boys and girls around the world."
The City of Greensboro is not alone in the effort to help children around the world.
More than 150,000 U.S. volunteers, including families, churches and other groups, are joining forces to contribute to the largest Christmas project of its kind.
Samaritan's Purse hopes to collect enough Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to reach 11 million children this year.
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.
For the full list of participating shoebox gift drop-off locations, click here.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 1-800-528-1980, 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.