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21 October 2015

'One in a million' campaign gains momentum

As momentum builds for Samaritan’s Purse to reach their goal of delivering one million gift-filled shoeboxes this Christmas, the charity is calling on everyone to take part in this year’s Operation Christmas Child ‘One In A Million’ campaign. “Already the response of people getting involved
in Operation Christmas Child this year has been overwhelming,” explains Samaritan’s Purse UK Executive Director Simon Barrington.

He added: “However we need many more people to be ‘one in a million’ and lovingly pack a shoebox for a child in need this Christmas and show them that someone cares about them and is thinking about them.”

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 124 million children in over 150 countries. Reaching more than 11 million children with Christmas joy takes a massive, year-round global effort. So whether it’s August or December, generous volunteers across the UK partner with Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Children’s Christmas project, to send shoeboxes full of gifts to children in need overseas.

One example of the long-term impact on children, who’ve received a shoebox over the past two decades, is Yuliya who recalls the moment she opened her precious box in a Central Asian country 14 years ago. “When I lifted the lid on my purple plastic shoebox, the first thing I saw was a stuffed dog. I was filled with exuberant joy! I just remember hugging it. It was my new best friend, my newfound treasure.

“I still have my stuffed dog 14 years later. That’s a glimpse of how much the shoebox meant to me because it was packed with love and prayer. It wasn’t just any dog. I could tell she specifically chose that dog for me and wanted to use it to communicate God’s love.”

Samaritan's Purse would like to hear from anyone who has a story about a shoe box they packed for a child. You can tell your story here.

Whether you take part as an individual or family, or as part of a larger group such as a school, local business or church, packing and preparing a shoebox couldn’t be easier.

Free resources to order or download can be found here including what to put in your shoebox, how to pack it and where to drop it off. 

The deadline for submitting shoeboxes is 18 November, so be sure to pack and deliver your box before then.

Samaritan's Purse UK is an international relief and development organisation that works through local churches to proclaim and demonstrate the love of God among communities in need in 18 countries across Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.