As Thanksgiving Day approaches, Lincoln County families are expressing their gratitude by giving back. Residents are filling shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items to send to children in need around the world. For many of these children, it will be the first gift they have ever received.

During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 12 – 19, local residents will drop off shoebox gifts at two drop-off locations The Samaritan’s Purse project, partnering with churches worldwide, will deliver these gifts to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. The Heart of Kentucky Area Team volunteers hope to collect more than 24,000 gifts during the week.

Lincoln County Drop-Off Locations are at Stanford Baptist Church, 194 Church Street in Stanford on Monday. Nov. 12, Tuesday, Nov. 13 and Thursday, Nov. 15 from 5-7 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 14, Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. -1 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 18 from 2-5 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m.-noon. You may also drop off at Pleasant View Baptist Church on Monday through Thursday, Nov. 12- 15 and Sunday, Nov. 18 from 4-6 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 16, Saturday, Nov. 17 and Monday, Nov. 19 from 9-11 a.m.

Lincoln County residents are not alone in their effort to help children around the world. More than 150,000 U.S. volunteers including families, churches and other groups are joining forces to contribute to the largest Christmas project of its kind. In 2018, Samaritan’s Purse hopes to collect enough Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to reach 11 million children.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. 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.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.