Family, friends and children from Big Level Baptist Church packed 2,391 empty shoeboxes with simple items most people take for granted, including toys, toothbrushes and school supplies to send to children as part of Samaritans Purses Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child is a kids-helping-kids project that uses simple, gift-filled shoeboxes to show millions of children in 100 countries that they are loved and not forgotten. Operation Christmas Child collects the shoeboxes and hand-delivers them to children around the world using whatever means neccessary this could be by sea containers, trucks, airplanes, trains, boats, camels, or helicopter to get them into the childs hand.

The deadline to drop off boxes is today from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Polk Baptist Associational building, 208 Blanton St. in Columbus.

More information can be found at www.samaritanspurse.org.

article submitted