Shoebox gift drives start Monday
Volunteers will accept shoebox gifts at nearly 5,000 sites nationwide during the week of Nov. 16.
By Oliver Bennett ·
Nearly 5,000 drop-off locations will open across the United States starting Nov. 16 to collect shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child. This annual drive marks the 33rd year of the initiative, which began in 1993.
The organization states that it collects and delivers these gifts to children experiencing war, poverty, disease, and disaster. Local volunteers in the Redington Beach area and across Florida are coordinating specific time slots for collection over the next eight days.
Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through a feature called “Follow Your Box.” This option provides a tracking label that allows donors to identify the final destination of their specific donation. The program also offers a website with instructions on how to pack a box and other donation methods.
Collection sites are operating on varied schedules. In Ascension Parish, Ascension Baptist Church in Gonzales is accepting gifts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 16 and 17. The church will be open from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 18. Hours return to 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 19.
Later in the week, Gonzales residents can drop off boxes at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Nov. 20 and 21. The final two days at this location will be 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 22 and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Nov. 23.
In East Baton Rouge Parish, First Baptist Church in Zachary is holding different hours. The site opens at 1 p.m. on Nov. 16 and closes at 4 p.m. It will run from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 17 and 19. Hours are 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 18. The schedule shifts to 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for Nov. 20 and 21.
The week concludes with 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. hours on Nov. 22. The final collection window for that site is 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 23. Other parishes, including Livingston and Tangipahoa, have listed similar eight-day schedules at various churches.
