YMCA Partners to Bring Gifts to World's Children
The YMCA of Middle Tennessee is partnering with Samaritan's Purse to assemble gift-filled shoe boxes for children worldwide as part of the annual outreach effort Operation Christmas Child.
Led by Franklin Graham, Samaritan's Purse is a non-profit Christian organization specializing in meeting the critical needs of victims of war, poverty, disease and natural disasters worldwide. Each year, Samaritan's Purse organizes Operation Christmas Child to collect and distribute gift-filled shoe boxes to nearly eight million children in more than 100 nations.
This
year, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee will join in the local efforts of
Operation Christmas Child to collect shoe boxes at all of its 30
centers. Anyone wishing to fill a shoe box for a child in need may pick
up an empty box and list of recommended supplies at any YMCA in the Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky area. Empty boxes are available now and will be until the final collection day on November 16. Simply visit a local YMCA to get a box between now and then and return it with your gifts by Monday, November 16.
YMCA Chaplain Larry Yarborough encourages parents and grandparents to involve kids in the process of filling the boxes. "The simplicity of the design of Operation Christmas Child makes it a great opportunity for kids to help kids. A ministry project like this provides a simple, tangible way children and teenagers can join with adults to help children in need around the world."
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Operation Christmas Child
