For over 30 years, Samaritan's Purse Ministries has provided boxes filled with goodies and gifts for children in need abroad. A Rushville-area church serves as the local drop-off site for the initiative, and is beginning to accept donations for the annual Operation Christmas Child program.
The Rushville Church of Christ, 717 E. Adams St., will begin taking the filled boxes from 9-10:30 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17; 4-7 p.m., Tuesday- Thursday, Nov. 18-20; 4:30-6:30 p.m., Friday, Nov.
21; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22; 1-3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 23, and 8-10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 24.
Some of the accepted items include toys (dolls, stuffed animals, soccer balls and pumps, frisbees, musical instruments; personal care items (toothbrushes, washcloths, nail clippers, band-aids, comb/ brush, eating utensils) and school supplies; clothing and accessories (cold and warm weather apparel and shoes), and crafts and activity sets. For a complete list of items visit samaritanspurse. org/what-we-do/ operation-christmas-child.
Please note that candy, gum, food of any kind, toothpaste, soaps and any other liquids are not allowed due to Customs requirements and to keep boxes free from damage if an item were to spill.
Caryl Lasswell spearheads her church's participation in the international effort, but even before that, she has been taking part in the program, filling her own personal boxes for the effort, for 27 years. She started out as a project leader for the church, helping children fill boxes every year, and around 10 years ago, the Rushville Church of Christ became a drop-off center for other churches and individuals to bring their boxes.
'We get everything ready and take them to our central drop-off point in Pittsfield where the boxes get loaded into semis and taken to the nearest processing center in Aurora. Once there, they're checked for any inappropriate items before being flown around the world to over 170 different countries,' Lasswell explained. 'I've been able to track our boxes over the years, and we have received letters and emails from children and their parents from all over the world, thanking us for their gifts. I am a Facebook friend with a pastor in Madagascar whose church received boxes a few years ago. How amazing to have that connection with someone on the other side of the world!'
According to Lasswell, as a Christian ministry, the Gospel message is also shared with children receiving the boxes by volunteers from churches in those countries, who have been trained in doing so, in their native languages. Lasswell explained the box distribution events are similar to Vacation Bible Schools in the United States.
'Most of the children receiving these boxes may be receiving a brand-new toy or school supplies for the first time in their lives,' she shared. 'Boxes are also sent to children's homes. We had a young lady (Elena) from the former Soviet Union visit our church recently to share how that box she and her sister received gave them joy and hope, and also led them to a family in the U.S. who adopted them.'
Last year's collection efforts in Rushville netted over 900 boxes. Overall, nearly 12 million boxes were collected across the U.S., as well as Australia and Canada, which were given to children ages 2-14 in underdeveloped countries.
'That may sound like a lot of boxes, but consider the population of children in India alone … over 480 million under 18,' Lasswell exclaimed. 'If there are other churches, groups and individuals who are interested in participating in this yearly outreach, we'd love to have them join us. Like I did with my son so many years ago, this is a great way to teach children the joy of giving to others, and to let other children know they are loved.'
For more information, contact Lasswell at caryl. [email protected] or at (309) 338-6262.
