The Big Shoebox Challenge

Learn about giving to children in need around the world

Operation Christmas Child provides an opportunity for families in the UK to give gifts to children around the world who may have never received a Christmas present before.

The Samaritan’s Purse project sends shoeboxes filled with fun toys, school supplies and personal care items to share God’s love with children in need and remind them that they are special and not forgotten. Children like Nanor:

Nanor was raised in a Middle Eastern country and spent the first year of her life living in a bomb shelter with three hundred other people. Now, as an adult, she still recalls the day she received her shoebox gift:

“We received the most wonderful shoeboxes that brought hope in the worst times of the war. The shoebox told me there was a girl who didn’t even know me but cared about me. I will never forget the day that I received my shoebox. I still remember every gift in it. I’ve kept the box to this day. The most exciting gifts were a Barbie doll and a stationery kit. It gave me an extreme amount of happiness. My shoebox showed me God’s love and grace and planted a seed of faith in my heart. My hope right now is for all

Middle Eastern children who are surviving through the worst time of the war to get these shoeboxes. My wish for them is that they receive the same joy, the same gift that I received years ago in my small village”.

This year Samaritan’s Purse UK has a bold goal — to reach an extra 100,000 children with shoebox gifts packed online this Christmas, and they need your help! Would you consider sending a shoebox gift online to bless a child in need?

Simply choose which category to pack for, select from a range of gifts, include an encouraging message, and make your donation. Samaritan’s Purse will then pack and send the gifts to a child for you.

Many shoebox gifts from the UK this Christmas are being sent to hard-to-reach areas, including the Middle East. Since 1993, globally, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories.

Scan the QR code below or visit our website to get involved.

You’ll also be able to follow the challenge online and see how your gifts are helping reach the exciting goal of 100,000 more children receiving good news and great joy.

EMILY PHILLIPS Head of Communications for Samaritan’s Purse International

www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/ thebigshoeboxchallenge