Angela Horvath, Marjorie Swearingen, Sara Lewis, Sammy Thacker, and Sarene Bellamy after loading the last of the boxes for transport to Hillsboro. (Photo provided)
Submitted News
1,484 shoe boxes were filled with toys, hygiene items and school supplies, and donated by churches, school groups and individuals from Adams County as Operation Christmas Child has ended another successful year locally. The West Union Christian Union Church was the Adams County Collection Center again this year where many volunteers helped collect the shoeboxes, packed them into larger shipping boxes and hauled them to Hillsboro where they were loaded on to tractor trailers to be transported to North Carolina. Starting in December hundreds of volunteers in North Carolina will inspect each shoebox before they are packed for shipment to children in need around the world.
If you, your church, school group, club or organization would like to be involved with the Operation Christmas Child shoe program next year it is not too early to start. Many groups start early by purchasing one or two items each month or buying end of season sale items to spread the cost over a whole year. You may send a variety of toys, school supplies or hygiene items. Do not put in candy, anything breakable, toothpaste, liquids, or war toys.
If at all possible, try to use regular size shoe boxes that are about 12 inches long by 7 inches wide by 5 inches tall. Operation Christmas Child directors would like a minimum of 16 boxes per shipping box to reduce shipping costs. Larger boxes made it hard to reach this goal, but anything is gladly accepted. The Collection Center can get you free standard size boxes. If you are using larger boxes, try to get them delivered earlier in the week, leaving more time to work them in with smaller boxes.
If you are interested or would like more information call or text Angela Horvath, Adams County Collection Center Coordinator at (937) 217-6620. Operation “Christmas Child 2022” will start again in early October 2022 with local news articles and radio messages in preparation for the mid November Collection Week.
On behalf of Operation Christmas Child, the Adams County Collection Center and the West Union Christian Union Church we would like to thank everyone who had a part in filling a shoebox this year.
