The collection season for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse begins today as nearly 5,000 drop-off locations open across the country. Individuals, families and groups across Missouri have the opportunity to pack a shoebox gift filled with fun toys, school supplies, and personal care items for children in need and drop them off now during National Collection Week, Nov. 17 – 24.

In Maryville, the Calvary Chapel, 24770 Interlude Road, has set the following times and dates for drop offs: 5 to 7 pm, now through Friday, November 21; 1 to 4 pm, Saturday November 22 and Sunday, November 23.

Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts to children worldwide for more than three decades. In 2025, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect shoeboxes throughout Missouri to help with the global goal to reach another 12 million children. The project of Samaritan’s Purse partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need.

“Every shoebox gift is an opportunity to tell a boy or girl that God loves them. That’s why we do what we do,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “I’m thankful for every single person who packs a shoebox because these simple gifts open the door for the Gospel.”

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. Shoebox gifts built online go to the ends of the earth to children in some of the hardest-to-reach places—whether deep jungles, city slums, steep mountainsides, or one of the more than 1,000 remote Pacific islands.

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