2013 FACT SHEET
ABOUT OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
• Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled
shoeboxes 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 shoebox 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 shoebox is used to help cover the cost of international shipping and other project
related costs.
• Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes travel around the world using every imaginable form of transportation: trucks,
boats, planes, and even camels.
• Many of the children who receive a shoebox are being given the first gift they have ever received.
• Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes 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.
• Shoeboxes 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 shoeboxes 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 shoebox 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 2013 National Collection Week is November 18-24
• 662,312 gift-filled shoeboxes were collected in Canada in 2012
• Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts are also collected in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Finland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States
• Shoebox gifts are distributed in more than 100 countries, on six continents (all but Antarctica)
• In 2012, over 9 million gift-filled shoeboxes were collected worldwide
• Since 1993, more than 103 million Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes 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
2013 FACT SHEET
HOW TO PACK A SHOE BOX
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Find an empty shoebox.
Choose to pack your shoebox 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
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Fill your shoebox 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 shoebox 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 shoebox. Please make one
combined donation for multiple shoeboxes.
Find the nearest shoebox collection center location at
samaritanspurse.ca/occ.
Pack shoeboxes online! Please consider
packing an additional shoebox 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 shoebox 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