Operation Christmas Child: Small Shoeboxes, Big Impact

Operation Christmas Child (OCC), a project of Samaritan’s Purse, mobilizes churches and volunteers each fall to pack gift-filled shoeboxes – simple toys, school supplies, and hygiene items – that are delivered to children around the world, alongside a clear, child-friendly presentation of the Christian Gospel. The ministry’s stated purpose is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way and partner with local churches to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Now in its fourth decade, OCC reports a cumulative reach of more than 232 million shoebox gifts sent to boys and girls in over 170 countries and territories since 1993. In 2024 alone, supporters packed 11.9 million shoeboxes globally. 134,000 outreach events were led by trained church leaders. Organizers say the 2025 campaign aims to sustain that momentum as congregations and community groups prepare for the upcoming collection push.

In the Maple Ridge/Pitt-Meadows area of British Columbia, Barb Gustafson of Ridge Church has been leading the organization, collection, and delivery of the shoeboxes for 25 years. She emphasizes that the core values of the program are evangelism, discipleship, and multiplication. Every year, she and her husband Larry hit every dollar story early and often as they buy out all the soccer balls and pumps.

The week most churches circle on their calendars is National Collection Week, scheduled this year for November 17–24, 2025, when thousands of drop-off sites receive locally packed boxes before they’re routed to processing centers and shipped overseas. There are 11 nations participating, including, Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

For recipients, a shoebox often becomes a doorway to ongoing discipleship. OCC’s follow-up program, The Greatest Journey, is a 12-lesson Bible course offered through local churches. It is currently available in 118 languages with more translations underway. According to the ministry’s fact sheet, more than 46 million children have participated since 2009, and over 23 million have professed faith in Christ through the effort. Supporters credit the curriculum’s local-church leadership and language-specific materials for its broad impact.

Beyond statistics, the ministry highlights personal stories to illustrate impact. One frequently shared account is “Alina and the Princess Shoes,” in which a shoebox delivered at age five helped a child grasp that God saw and loved her – an experience she later paid forward by serving others. Such narratives are used to encourage churches that an inexpensive gift can carry outsized spiritual meaning.

12-year-old Lim said that the shoebox was the first present she had ever received. Samaritan’s Purse freely shares the stories of success. For example, 9-year-old Setian, from Kenya, used to pick up pencil stubs in her community so she could do her homework. She was invited to an Operation Christmas Child outreach event where she heard the gospel and accepted Jesus as her saviour. Before opening her gift she prayed for what she needed. She was delighted to find new pens and pencils. She invited her parents to church and also 20 other children from her neighbourhood.

More impact stories are available at samaritanspurse.ca/occ-stories/.

How Christians Can Participate

You can use any shoebox, or check with your church to find out where you can get an OCC shoebox.

• Pack a box: Follow OCC’s packing guide (age-specific suggestions and “wow” item ideas) and deliver your gift during National Collection Week. Donors are asked to include a $12 per-box contribution to help cover collection, processing, shipping, and evangelism resources; online donors can “Follow Your Box” and later learn its destination country.
• Build a box online: For those short on time – or wanting to reach hard-to-access regions – OCC provides a curated, Build a Shoebox Online option that assembles and ships gifts on your behalf.
• Support discipleship: Individuals and churches can underwrite The Greatest Journey so children who receive shoeboxes can enroll and receive Scripture resources through their local church.

Samaritan’s Purse leaders frame OCC as both mercy ministry and mission strategy: a practical gift that opens doors for local Christians to care, teach, and make disciples in their own communities. With collection week approaching, congregations are organizing packing parties, setting group goals, and praying that each shoebox will arrive exactly where it’s needed most.