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Community Corner

It's Back to School in More Ways that One for Some Cobb County Residents!

Local Families Do Their Part to Reach Global Goal of Helping

10 Million Needy Children

This back-to-school season, Cobb County parents, kids and teens are looking beyond their own school supply lists to make a difference in the lives of needy kids overseas. 

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Tens of millions of children in developing countries have never attended school, and a key reason for this is lack of access to basic school supplies. That’s why this year, Cobb County families are stocking up on back-to-school items for Operation Christmas Child, a year-round project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse. Not only can families fill these shoe boxes with school materials, they can also pack toys, hygiene items, and letters of encouragement for children in poverty around the world. 

In 2013, Cobb County residents packed over 8,000 shoe box gifts for needy kids overseas.

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This shoe box packing effort, requiring months of organization and preparation, is expected to bless over 10 million children this year suffering the effects of natural disaster, disease, war, terrorism, famine and poverty. In 2014 Operation Christmas Child anticipates collecting and delivering shoe boxes to more than 100 million children since the project began in 1993. Through the power of a simple gift and the message of hope through Jesus Christ, children learn they are loved and not forgotten.  For many of these children, the shoe box will be the first gift they have ever received.

HOW CAN YOU HELP NEEDY KIDS WORLDWIDE? 

  • PREPARE - Help enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take advantage of back-to-school sales by collecting school supplies for shoe box gifts. 

  • PACK – During National Collection Week (Nov. 17–24), fill shoe boxes with school materials, toys, hygeine items and a letter of encouragement and drop it off at a collection site near you. Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC.  By using special tracking technology, participants can “follow” their shoe box and discover the country in which their gift will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register your shoe box gift, use the “Follow Your Box” form online. 

  • VOLUNTEER – Volunteers are needed year-round. For volunteer opportunities visit www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC and click on “Volunteer” for more details and information.

For more information about how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 770-777-9342 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC. National Collection Week for gift-filled shoe boxes is Nov. 17-24; however, shoe box gifts are collected all year at the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.


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