By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER – Although the 80-degree temperatures of recent days may not be causing too many people to think about Christmas, two visitors to the Keyser Assembly of God this week had little but Christmas on their minds.
Debbie Welch, area coordinator for Operation Christmas Child, and Todd Edwards, regional director for Samaritan’s Purse, were in town to promote the program in hopes of surpassing last year’s collection of 9,100 shoeboxes full of small gifts which are distributed to the children of underdeveloped countries all over the world.
“Our goal for 2009 is 12,000 boxes,” Welch said, as she hauled an oversized garbage bag chock full of donated shoeboxes into the church.
“We’re trying to reach out to the children of the world one shoebox at a time,” she said.
In the program, volunteers fill shoeboxes with a wide variety of items, from school supplies to personal hygiene items, snacks, booklets and small toys. They may also include a picture of their family or a personal note to the recipient of the box.
Also included, courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse, is a gospel booklet in whatever language the recipient speaks.
“It’s translated into 70 different languages,” Edwards said.
According to Welch, the shoeboxes are delivered far and wide.
“Our shoeboxes go into 100 different countries,” she said. “Sometimes, I put two of something in a box, because you’re not only talking about children who have never received a gift before, but they also have never given a gift.”
She often even includes a bit of wrapping paper so the duplicate gift can be wrapped for a friend or family member.
Welch says even the simplest of things can mean a world of difference for the child who receives a box.
“A box of crayons – eight crayons – costs $5 in Uganda,” she said. “You give a child a box of 24 crayons, and you may be giving them a color they’ve never seen before.
“You’re giving them the gift of creativity.”
Worldwide, Operation Christmas Child collected and distributed close to 8 million shoeboxes. This year, their goal is 8.2 million.
Locally, seven counties are involved in the region with which Edwards works – Mineral, Grant, Hardy, Hampshire, Pendleton, Allegany and Garrett.
For Mineral County, the collection site is the Fountain United Brethren in Christ Church.
Anyone wishing to take part in the program can fill their own shoebox or boxes. If they wish to wrap it, they are asked to wrap the lid and box separately and to include $7 to help defray the cost of shipment.
Welch says the shipping “cost” is a bargain. After checking with the Postal Service to see how much it would take to ship such a box to Zambia or Uganda, for example, she found it would cost over $20.
According to Edwards, Samaritan’s Purse goes to great lengths to get the shoeboxes to the children.
“We’ve delivered boxes from helicopters, canoes, by camel and on snowmobiles,” he said. “Whatever we need to do to get them there.”
Edwards calls Operation Christmas Child “an amazing gospel opportunity,” and notes that a 12-week discipleship program is also available to the recipients of the boxes.
“We look at every shoebox as bringing hope to a child,” he said.
Collection week for the shoeboxes will be Nov. 16-23. For further information on the program, visit www.samaritanspurse.org.