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Published Sunday, November 15, 2009 in Local

Operation Christmas Child drive starts on Monday

By Winston Skinner

The Newnan Times-Herald

Volunteers will be at Unity Baptist Church's multi-purpose building Monday morning -- starting a week of collecting Operation Christmas Child boxes.

Churches, clubs, other organizations and individuals have been preparing boxes for several weeks. Some churches hold dedication services for their boxes, which are sent through Samaritan's Purse to churches around the world for distribution.

Donnie Smith, one of the coordinators of this year's local OCC drive, said hours for people to drop off boxes at the LaGrange Street church are Monday-Friday and Nov. 23 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon and Nov. 22 from 2-5 p.m.

Leesa Bates is working with Smith to coordinate the project at Unity, which brings in boxes from an area covering several counties. Bates said she hopes the collection center will bring in 30,000 boxes or more, as it has in the past, even though the area served by the Newnan site is smaller than in the past.

"I would like to see that number again," Bates said.

Randy Riddle, director of domestic operations for Operation Christmas Child USA, said -- in a letter to supporters -- that there are more than 5,100 volunteers in communities like Newnan who have "invested countless hours into multiplying the project" in their communities. Those volunteers "have set ambitious, God-honoring goals and planted seeds by serving in" their areas, he wrote.

There are now 12 countries -- plus the United States -- that send OCC boxes. Austria, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and New Zealand sent boxes last year, and Spain and Hong Kong launched the project this year.

"Our goal is 8.2 million shoebox gifts -- with a U.S. goal of 5.2 million," Riddle stated.

Operation Christmas Child involves a volunteer filling a shoebox or similar-sized container with toys, personal care items and school supplies. Many donors include a letter and/or a photograph of themselves. Several area residents have received letters from the recipients of their boxes over the years.

Givers decide whether to prepare a box for a boy or girl and choose an age category -- 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. Samaritan's Purse asks for a donation of $7 to cover shipping.