Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year. For more than 25 years, Lincoln County churches and families have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world. One of these gifts reached Giftlin Rajarathinam, whose parents were ministers in a country hostile to the Gospel. Now a young woman, she visits Churches and groups to share how the simple gift of a shoe box had a life-changing impact. 

She will be telling her story at Damariscotta Baptist Church on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served after. She wants to encourage residents as they kick off the upcoming collection season to fill shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and personal care items—contributing to the global goal of reaching 11 million children in Jesus’ Name.

During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 13-20, Lincoln County residents (and beyond) can bring gift-filled shoeboxes to multiple drop-off locations across the Capital Area Team, including Damariscotta Baptist Church. For a complete list of drop off locations and times, visit  Shoebox Drop Off Locations - samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/ 

For more information, call Julie Crider or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement. Many shoeboxes built online go to hard-to-reach countries.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Operation Christmas Child will celebrate its 30th year of ministry!