Despite the continuing challenges posed by COVID-19, Canadians lovingly packed 413,875 shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and many other items during the 2021 Operation Christmas Child shoebox campaign that recently ended. That’s an increase of more than 40,000 over 2020’s total.
Distribution of the shoeboxes around the world has already begun. During the next few weeks, children in Central America and western Africa will be receiving shoeboxes packed by caring Canadians.
Locally, 1,284 shoeboxes were packed in Belleville, 1049 in Quinte West, 304 in Napanee, and 169 in Picton.
The 413,875 boxes donated in 2021—including tens of thousands of boxes packed online at PackaBox.ca—were part of a worldwide total of 10.5 million collected in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Finland, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand.
“In a year filled with uncertainty, we praise God for the opportunity to continue reaching children around the world with gift-filled shoeboxes that bring so much joy,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse.
Operation Christmas Child is a program of Samaritan’s Purse Canada, a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ’s biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Like that Good Samaritan, who found a beaten man and helped restore him, we aid victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. Besides Operation Christmas Child, our initiatives include providing safe water, vocational skills, and agricultural supplies and training to families in the developing world. Learn more at SamaritansPurse.ca.
(Photo: Samaritan’s Purse, Canada)
