Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) 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. It provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple, hands-on project of Samaritan’s Purse that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas – Jesus Christ – God’s greatest gift.

Operation Christmas Child was started in 1990 by Dave Cooke, a Welshman who felt moved to deliver gifts to Romanian orphans after seeing their living circumstances on television. In 1993, Operation Christmas Child grew and was adopted by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization run by Franklin Graham.

To date, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed over 94 million shoe box gifts worldwide. Each shoe box gift is filled with hygiene items, school supplies, toys, and candy, is given to children regardless of gender, race, religion, or age. When culturally appropriate, copies of a book entitled The Greatest Gift of All, which has been translated into 130 different languages, are offered to children after the shoe box has already been distributed.

In 2012, Westside Baptist Church begins to partner with Operation Christmas Child to become one of the two collection centres in Vancouver. If you are interested in volunteering for or finding out more information about this meaningful cause, please contact: shoebox@westsidebaptist.ca


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