OCU Religious Life hosted their second Operation Christmas Child collection drive last week.
Operation Christmas Child is a program put on by Samaritan’s Purse that sends shoeboxes filled with various items and a Bible to children. Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian missionary organization.
The program delivers boxes to more than 100 countries including Thailand, Vanuatu and Vietnam.
This is the 20th year for Operation Christmas Child. The project has delivered more than 100 million boxes to needy children.
The group hopes to collect another 9.8 million boxes this year.
Religious Life collected donations of small toys, hard candy, hygiene items, and other age-appropriate gifts.
It is the second year OCU Religious Life has collected items for Operation Christmas Child.
Religious Life received more donations than they had anticipated, doubling their goal last year.
The 27 shoeboxes were delivered to children in Mexico.
“We won’t know where they will go this year until December,” said Olivia Coil, youth ministry sophomore. “All we know is that we are helping children have a better Christmas.”
They anticipated packing at least 50 boxes this year.
They also hosted a silent auction Nov. 15 in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel.
“It’s important because we are helping more than just our local neighborhoods,” said Anna Lou Ediger, music business freshman. “We get to help children who don’t have the same stuff we do.”
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