Each holiday season the Samaritan’s Purse International Relief organization collects gifts to ensure children living in situations of war, poverty, disease and natural disaster can experience the joy of Christmas through the organization’s Operation Christmas Child program.
In Prince Rupert gifts for kids will be collected until Nov. 23.
“There are millions of children who have absolutely nothing, and have probably never had a gift in their life. We need to give them hope,” Ethel Moorehouse, area representative for Operation Christmas Child, said.
People can choose the sex and age of the child they wish to send a shoebox full of gifts and are asked to include items like stuffed animals, small musical instruments, hair clips, toy jewellery, clothing items like t-shirts and socks, or individually wrapped hard candy in a sealable bag.
Donators are encouraged to include school supplies, such as pens, pencils, pencil crayons and note pads.
“If they don’t have a pencil and paper, they don’t go to school,” said Moorehouse.
Samaritan’s Purse will send locally donated boxes to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Venezuela, Guinea and Equatorial Guinea this year. Shoeboxes can be picked up from Northern Savings on weekdays or upstairs at the Rupert Square Mall on weekends, and dropped back off at Northern Savings before Nov. 23.