The shoeboxes are on their way to children in need.

In September, the Christmas Child Shoebox Program kicked off when thousands of empty shoeboxes were picked up by individuals, organizations and churches throughout South Bruce.  Two short months later, the thousands filled with Christmas hope and love were brought to Port Elgin’s Shoreline Baptist Church ready to be shipped out.

Volunteers loaded and transported shoeboxes – for larger view, Click on Image

From Wiarton to Hepworth, Sauble Beach to Tara and Paisley, Port Elgin and Southampton to Tiverton and Kincardine and all places in between, boxes were filled for t hose who may have never received a gift.

                                    Hundreds of boxes ready to go

This year, many sensing the deterioration in world conditions, responded as never before filling more than 5,000 shoeboxes in South Bruce and helping with shipping costs as well as participating on-line.

Coordinator Joyce Scammell thanks the many who opened their doors including 98theBeach Radio Station, Donna Nashkewa-Jackson and her team from Saugeen First Nation, the Salvation Army Thrift Store, Square Deal Neil’s, Missionary Church, Shoreline Baptist Church and many more.

On Sunday, November 21st, Saugeen First Nation fire fighter Sandy Roote, Melissa Root and Steven Pellow filled their three trucks with shoeboxes and delivered them to Hanover Missionary Church.  From there, they will travel by train to the processing centre in Calgary and then to the children of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and Gambia.

For larger view, Click on Image

Operations Christmas Child is a program that was begun by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief organization that is headed by Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham.  Since 1993, over 100 million shoeboxes have been donated to children living in villages that have been ravaged from famine, poverty, natural disasters, war or disease.