2012 FACT SHEET PMS 200 PMS 356 BLACK About Operation Christmas Child • Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the message of God’s unconditional love. • Operation Christmas Child is a fun and easy project that can involve people of all ages. • Each gift-filled shoe box should contain a well-balanced variety of school supplies, toys, hygiene products, and a personal note and photo from the giver. • The suggested $7 donation for each shoe box is used to help cover the cost of international shipping and other project related costs. • Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes travel around the world using every imaginable form of transportation: trucks, boats, planes, and even camels. • Many of the children who receive a shoe box are being given the first gift they have ever received. • Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes open doors for Samaritan’s Purse to provide children, families, and communities with access to safe water, food, clothing, shelter, medical assistance, and/or educational resources. • Shoe boxes from Operation Christmas Child transcend all barriers—language, culture, geography, and politics—to give joy and hope to hurting children around the world. • When culturally appropriate, children who received gift-filled shoe boxes are offered a colorful booklet, called The Greatest Gift of All, which explains the message of salvation through Jesus Christ in the child’s own language. • When possible, children who receive shoe box gifts are also offered the opportunity to take part in a 12-lesson discipleship training program called The Greatest Journey, presented through the local church. OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD FACTS • The 2012 National Collection Week is November 19-25 • 672,274 gift-filled shoe boxes were collected in Canada in 2011 • Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts are also collected in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States • Shoe box gifts are distributed in more than 100 countries, on six continents (all but Antarctica) • In 2011, nearly 8.6 million gift-filled shoe boxes were collected worldwide • Since 1993, more than 94 million Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes have been collected and distributed around the world Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse 20 Hopewell Way NE, Calgary, AB T3J 5H5 | 1.800.303.1269 | samaritanspurse.ca 2012 FACT SHEET HOW TO PACK A SHOE BOX 1 2 Find an empty shoe box. Choose to pack your shoe box for a boy or a girl, ages 2–4, 5–9, or 10–14. Mark the correct age category: 2-4 Years 5-9 Years 10-14 Years Mark the correct age category: 2-4 Years 3 5-9 Years 10-14 Years 4 5 6 Fill your shoe box with a well-balanced variety of school supplies, toys, and hygiene products, as well as a personal note and photo if you wish. Please do not include any food items or anything that could break, leak, melt, or scare and harm a child. Donate $7 for every shoe box you pack to help cover project costs and shipping. Donations can be made at samaritanspurse.ca by credit card, or enclose a cheque or cash in your shoe box. Please make one combined donation for multiple shoe boxes. Find the nearest shoe box collection center location at samaritanspurse.ca/occ. Pack shoe boxes online! Please consider packing an additional shoe box online this year at samaritanspurse.ca/shoebox. It’s simple and convenient! • You can select from a variety of gift items for a boy or girl in each designated age group • Personalize each shoe box you pack with a personal note and photo. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse 20 Hopewell Way NE, Calgary, AB T3J 5H5 | 1.800.303.1269 | samaritanspurse.ca