Local drop-off locations in New Albin and Decorah opening November 17-24 for Operation Christmas Child

Volunteers are preparing to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, November 17-24. Nearly 5,000 drop-off locations will open across the country in November, and shoebox packers can find their local drop-off locations in Iowa.

Among the drop-off locations most accessible to this local area are Christ Community Evangelical Free Church in New Albin and Stone Ridge Community Church in Decorah. Christ Community Evangelical Free Church is located at 188 Plum Street NE in New Albin, and its open hours of accepting Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during the November 17-24 drop-off week include the following:
November 17: 1-3 p.m.
November 18: 1-3 p.m.
November 19: 1-3 p.m.
November 20: 5-7 p.m.
November 21: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
November 22: 8-10 a.m.
November 23: 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.
November 24: 8-10 a.m.

Stone Ridge Community Church is located at 1111 Montgomery Street in Decorah. Open hours of accepting Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts at that location during the November 17-24 drop-off week include the following:
November 17: 4:30-6:30 p.m.
November 18: 4:30-6:30 p.m.
November 19: 4:30-6:30 p.m.
November 20: 4:30-6:30 p.m.
November 21: 4:30-6:30 p.m.
November 22: 9-11 a.m.
November 23: 12-2 p.m.
November 24: 7:30-10 a.m.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering gift-filled shoeboxes to children including many who are suffering from war, poverty, disease and disaster. Operation Christmas Child hopes to reach another 12 million children in 2025.

Shoebox packing can be fun for individuals, families and groups. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage at https://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.

“Samaritan’s Purse works around the world to help people in need, but it’s not about good works - it’s about the Gospel,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Please prayerfully consider packing a shoebox this year with Operation Christmas Child. These simple gifts open the door for us to share the true meaning of Christmas.”

Participants can find additional drop-off locations and hours of operation online as they make plans to drop off their shoebox gifts by visiting http://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/. The online look-up tool is searchable by city or ZIP code. Signs at each location will identify the drop-off.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks 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 232 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.