Local volunteers were hard at work this week packing and shipping care packages for children. The operation is run by Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides help to the needy.

One program the organization runs is Operation Christmas Child, which sends gift-wrapped shoeboxes across the world to children in need by partnering with local churches and organizations.

Kathy Sills is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas Child. This has been a busy week for her and her team at First Baptist Church of Vicksburg.

“Now what we’re doing is we’re receiving shoeboxes from local churches,” Sills said. “There are about 35 local churches and some clubs and organizations that pack shoeboxes.”

All those organizations collect their boxes and bring them to the church, which is the receiving hub for West Central Mississippi.

The boxes typically have hygiene items like toothbrushes or combs, as well as small toys and art supplies.

About 5,600 shoe boxes can fit in a single trailer, and Sills estimated they will fill almost five trailers this year.

Those shoe boxes will then be sent to Atlanta to a warehouse owned by Samaratin’s Purse. There, they will be opened and checked to ensure the items are appropriate for children and shipping.

“They will go all over the world. There are approximately 175 different countries that Samaritan’s Purse has shipped to over the years,” Sills said. “And they will be shipping those to wherever they’re most needed. Usually, it’s places where there is war, poverty, famine, special circumstances, like Covid or some type of disease. So then the cartons are shipped to local partners, like local churches, and they’re distributed from there.”

Sills said her faith is a motivating factor in her and the church’s involvement in the program.

“First Baptist Church participates in the Operation Christmas Child ministry because this is a great way to share the love of Jesus with a child,” she said. “And we just simply demonstrate God’s love in a small, tangible way. And every shoebox provides an opportunity to share Jesus’s love with a child.”