The public is invited to participate in Operation Christmas Child (OCC) by gathering small toys, personal care items and school supplies and placing them in a shoebox for donation to Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief organization, which will distribute the gifts to children in need worldwide. Shoeboxes will be accepted during National Collection Week, which will take place this year from Monday, Nov. 15, through Monday, Nov. 22.

Local drop-off locations include Gateway Church, 160 Cowan Road, Parkesburg, and Calvary Chapel of Chester Springs, 217 Dowlin Forge Road, Exton. Calvary Chapel is the home church of Will and Amy Shaw of Chester Springs, regional area coordinators for the Mid-Atlantic North Region of OCC.

Donation hours at the two locations, as well as a complete list of sites that are accepting shoeboxes, can be found at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations.

This past summer, Will and Amy held an outdoor shoebox packing party at their home. During the annual event, participants filled shoeboxes in assembly-line fashion with items such as hair accessories, school supplies and stuffed animals. More than 1,500 boxes were packed during the day.

Will and Amy held a similar packing party at their home in 2020, but they had to limit attendance because of the pandemic. "(OCC) delivered 9 million shoeboxes in 2020; a typical year is 11 (million) or 12 million," said Amy. "Canceling it was never an option."

Will and Amy have been involved with OCC for a number of years and have personally taken part in shoebox distributions in several countries, including Paraguay. The couple shops year-round for OCC, buys in bulk and gathers donations.

Leading up to the 2021 packing party, the couple discovered Kohl's Cares stuffed animals on sale for 75 cents each. "We bought 700 of them," said Amy, noting that one day prior to the packing party, 60 Kohl's boxes filled with stuffed animals were delivered to their home.

Suggested shoebox gifts include toys, such as dolls, finger puppets and foam balls; personal care items, such as washcloths, hairbrushes and combs; and craft items, including coloring books, pens and pencils and stickers. Senders may also include a personal note to the recipient. Amy said that each box should contain a "wow" item such as a soccer ball with a manual air pump.

Those who are unable to pack a shoebox may take part in the online "Build a Shoebox" program. Complete details are available at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline.

For more information, email occphilly@aol.com or search for "OCC Regional Area Coordinators in PA (Mid-Atlantic North OCC)" on Facebook.