It's shoebox time again! You can get involved by packing shoeboxes, helping during Davisville's collection week or volunteering at the Baltimore Processing Center. Keep scrolling for all the details.

Each year we joyfully support the Operation Christmas Child project by collecting shoebox gifts filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items for children around the world. The project delivers not only the joy of what, for many kids, is their first gift ever, but also gives them a tangible expression of God’s love. Tens of thousands of volunteers from local churches around the world partner with Samaritan's Purse to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ at festive outreach events where children are surprised with these shoebox gifts.

Samaritan's Purse also trains volunteers from these congregations to teach The Greatest Journey, a dynamic follow-up discipleship course for shoebox recipients. Since 2009, 40.5 million children have enrolled in this 12-lesson program to learn how to follow Christ and share Him with others. More than 20.2 million of these boys and girls have made a decision to accept Jesus as their Savior during the course. Many are now praying for and sharing their faith with family and friends. As a result new churches are starting and communities are being transformed!

Click here for more information on OCC.

Physical boxes

1. Grab a shoebox and label at Davisville.
2. Fill the box with gifts. Select a medium to large "wow" item such as a soccer ball with pump or stuffed animal, then fill with other fun toys, school supplies, and personal care items. Don't forget to also include a personal note and photo—sometimes these are the child's favorite things to receive! Click here for gift suggestions and a list of items that aren't accepted.
3. Pray for the child who will receive your shoebox. Also pray that their family would be receptive to the Good News of Jesus, for the local church who will deliver the shoeboxes and that the community would be transformed by the Gospel.
4. Donate $10 per box to cover evangelism materials, shipping, and other project costs. For easiest processing, you can give online by clicking here, or mail a check in the postage-paid envelope available in our printed brochure attached to the label. If you use an online option you can Follow Your Box and discover the destination of your gift.
5. Bring your box(es) to church on or before our collection day on Sunday, November 17, or stop by during one of the drop off center times the week of Nov 18 - 25 listed below.

Online boxes - build a shoebox with ease on your computer or phone

1. Click here to visit the Davisville online box builder.
2. Choose to have a box built for you or build your own by choosing between pre-selected options.
3. Type in a personal note and upload a picture of you/your family (optional).
4. Pay $25 - cost includes shipping.

Another option for financially donating is to help pay the shipping for boxes. There is a woman from our church family who works year round to gather items for hundreds of boxes. If you would like to help cover some of the shipping ($10/box) for these boxes, please reach out to Beth Zawisza at tommynbeth@aol.com.

Davisville is a drop-off center during collection week again this year. Below are the dates and times the center (located in the main church lobby) will be open. Feel free to bring boxes during these times.

Drop off center times:

Monday, Nov 18: 10 am -1 pm

Tuesday, Nov 19: 4 - 6 pm

Wednesday, Nov 20: 1 - 3 pm

Thursday, Nov 21: 4 - 6 pm

Friday, Nov 22: 10 am - 12 pm

Saturday, Nov 23: 12 - 4 pm

Sunday, Nov 24: 12:30 - 4 pm

Monday, Nov 25: 10 am - 1 pm

Millions of shoeboxes are collected during National Collection Week. Each one has to be carefully inspected and made ready for shipment by volunteers. If you are interested in helping at the Baltimore Processing Center check out the spots reserved on the following dates. If you are interested, click the button below to sign up and the Davisville coordinator, Beth Zawisza, will contact you. If these dates do not work, you can register for another time by clicking here.

Dates/Times:

Friday 11/29, 1 - 6 pm

Saturday 11/30, 1 - 5 pm

Tuesday 12/3, 1 - 6 pm

Friday 12/6, 1 - 6 pm

Saturday 12/7, 4 - 10 pm

Things to note:

• Volunteers must be 13 or older. 
• Transportation is not provided.