Collecting Shoe Boxes With Gifts For Children In Need

By: Melanie Bloom - Email

Updated: Tue 8:29 AM, Nov 13, 2012

Click here to see a list of items you should & should not donate.

Volunteers are collecting shoe boxes that are filled with gifts for children in need.

Families, businesses, churches and schools around eastern Nebraska are being asked to help with the Operation Christmas Child effort. The collection began on Monday.

Millions of people around the U.S. are filling shoe boxes with gifts this week for the 9.1 million suffering children around the world.

After each box is packed, it is checked to make sure that all items are appropriate for children.

Items such as hygiene products, toys, clothes, flip flops, pens and pencils are requested as gifts. You are asked to not donate things such as liquids, water guns or chocolate.

Jessica Howland, organizer of Operation Christmas Child at Calvary Community Church in Lincoln, said that these shoe boxes could be the only gift a child gets in their entire life.

"They don't have soap, they don't have toothbrushes, they don't even have crayons or pencils to draw with to even practice writing or just being creative. It is very important because these children have little to nothing of their own and this probably will be the only gift they ever receive in their entire life," said Howland.

22,900 shoe boxes were collected in eastern Nebraska last year. Organizers are hoping for at least that many this year.

You may drop off donations at the following locations through November 19th.

Calvary Community Church
4400 N. 1st Street
Lincoln, NE 68521

New Covenant Community Church
6000 S. 84th Street
Lincoln, NE 68516

Crossroads Bible Church
17040 Highway 1
Manly, NE 68403