Operation Christmas Child Calls for united community action
Samaritan’s Purse is appealing to everyone across Edinburgh and Midlothian to join others in their community and help bring joy and hope to one million children as part of this year’s Operation Christmas Child appeal.
Over the past 23 years, globally, through Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse has delivered over 100 million gift-filled shoeboxes to disadvantaged children in over 100 countries.
Right now teams of Operation Christmas Child volunteers across Edinburgh and Midlothian are busy setting up Drop Off Points and warehouses in order to collect and process the thousands of shoeboxes that will be sent from Edinburgh and Mid Lothian to children in countries like Belarus, Liberia, Romania, Swaziland and Ukraine this Christmas, but more help is urgently needed.
“Christmas is almost upon us and we urgently need people in Edinburgh and Midlothian to work with us to help us reach our target of delivering one million shoeboxes from the UK this year,” said June Vasey, Samaritan’s Purse Area Coordinator for Edinburgh and Midlothian.
“Getting involved in Operation Christmas Child, wrapping and packing shoeboxes can be such fun and is always hugely rewarding. Every year we see people organising their work colleagues, teachers working with parents and schoolchildren and churches inviting their communities to get involved.
“It can also be hard work, so while we are grateful for our existing teams of volunteers, we are always looking for more, to help at our warehouses. Again, hugely rewarding, if only because a small investment of time will bring smiles to the faces of so many children overseas this Christmas. These children are always so thankful to know that someone on the other side of the world cares about them.”
To find out the nearest centre where people can volunteer or drop off their shoeboxes go to the website or follow on Facebook
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I think this article is very misleading. You should make your readers aware that Operation Christmas Child is an evangelical Christian operation run by Samaritan’s Purse, a US-based organisation, and the main aim of distributing shoebox gifts is to encourage children to sign up for a ‘discipleship programme’ called The Greatest Journey: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/about-the-greatest-journey/
I’d encourage anyone planning to support this charity to check it out thoroughly online first. Franklin Graham is an evangelist who uses this ‘charity’ primarily to convert children of different faiths to Christianity, by using the shoe boxes as a vehicle to deliver literature telling children that ‘God will forgive them their sins’ if they join his church. Franklin Graham spent $150,000 of the charity’s money (that’s the £3 you tape to your box) on supporting Amendment One (which is against gay marriage and partnerships). They are also anti-abortion, and anti-Islam (look up what Mr Graham has to say about Muslims!). Not least, the charity pays Franklin Graham an annual salary of $409,851 – from your donations.
I’d urge you to consider the excellent Mary’s Meals charity, or Children on The Edge, your local foodbank, or Oxfam. A shoebox of tat might make you feel good, but it’s a totally ineffectual method of charity.
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