Operation Christmas Child is back in effect with shoeboxes being filled for children in countries like El Salvador. (Submitted photo/Samaritan's Purse Canada)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Shoebox time

Alliance church hosting Operation Christmas Child in North Battleford

Nov 10, 2021 | 5:00 AM

Operation Christmas Child is in full swing next by Monday in the Battlefords.

The national collection week for the annual holiday campaign runs Nov. 15–21 with shoebox drop-off locations in operation across the country. In North Battleford, residents participating in the campaign can stop by Territorial Drive Alliance Church for varying times on all seven days.

The hours of availability are:

Mon. Nov. 15 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tues. Nov. 16 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 17 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thur. Nov. 18 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 19 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 20 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 21 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Frank King, the News Media Relations manager for Samaritan’s Purse Canada, said it’s continuously important to support children in developing nations in Africa and Central America, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“We need to provide hope and let them know they aren’t forgotten in the midst of all the world’s troubles,” he said. “It’s a big deal for a lot of kids after the last two years.”

As devastating as the pandemic has been for many Canadians, King said the impact the pandemic has had on other parts of the globe where people are less fortunate is far worse.

“For the most part, most of them live the majority of their lives in a recession,” he said. “When we are in a recession, they are in a depression.

“You can just imagine how much more of an effect the pandemic had on those countries.”

Children from El Salvador and Costa Rica. (Submitted photo/Samaritan’s Purse Canada)

According to a release from Samaritan’s Purse Canada, the church location may have empty shoeboxes that people can pick up, but this is not a guarantee. Residents can use their own shoeboxes or buy clear plastic boxes and fill them. Items for shoeboxes include toys, school supplies, hygiene products, personal notes and photos.

Internet options for filling out a package are now also available. King said the number of shoeboxes completed online in 2020 tripled from the year before.

“It gave us a reason to cheer and we’re expecting and hoping for the same thing this year,” he said.

In 2020, Canadians filled more than 370,000 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for children in West Africa and Central America. Of that total, Saskatchewan residents packed 20,760 shoeboxes in 2020, with North Battleford contributing 1,005.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW