Operation Christmas Child kicks off

Local volunteers are getting a head start on sharing holiday gifts with millions of children around the world.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, is launching its annual shoe box gift collection drive Nov. 12-19 with a goal to send more than 9 million shoes boxes to children in 130 countries this year.

The New River Baptist Association collection center, located at 2734 Commerce Road in Jacksonville, is one of 3,200 locations where donors can drop off shoe boxes packed with toys, school supplies and necessity items during National Collection Week. Residents participated in a kick off celebration at the Jacksonville center on Thursday to help reach a new goal to collect 7,500 shoes boxes this year by submitting donations are serving as volunteers for the annual drive.

Betty Jo Hensley has headed efforts as the Jacksonville-Onslow County coordinator for Operation Christmas Child since 2006. Hensley first heard of the organization while serving with her husband as foreign missionaries for 40 years before retiring and settling in Jacksonville.

 “Before we retired, a big shipment of boxes came to Panama where we were living at the time, and we didn’t know anything about it then,” Hensley said. “The Panama Baptist Convention asked if we would help give out boxes — we were in a very poor area.”

The organization welcomes youth and adult volunteers from any organization or group to participate by donating toys, games, school supplies and more along with a letter or photo in a standard size plastic or cardboard shoe boxes. Gift wrapping is optional but highly encouraged.

 “It’s not just Baptist, it’s any denomination, organization or individual and some of the schools have their honor societies do it,” Hensley said. “Last year we ended up with 5,695 shoes boxes here.”

Collection dates will be Nov. 12-17 from 1 to 5 p.m., Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. After the shoe box gifts are collected on Nov. 19, they are sent to be processed and prepared for hand-delivery to children worldwide using whatever means necessary — sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, boats, elephants and dog sleds.

Chick-fil-A is partnering with the organization once again by accepting shoe boxes on Nov. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at its Western Boulevard Extension location near Target.

“If someone brings a box they get a coupon for a free sandwich,” Hensley said. “We had 958 boxes collected at Chick-fil-A in one night last year.”