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Annual ‘Shoebox’ Effort Sets Local Collection Dates
shoebox pix

Formerly Escalon Covenant Church, the Heritage Church at 1155 Escalon Avenue will once again be the collection point for the local Operation Christmas Child effort.

National Collection Week is scheduled from Monday, Nov. 16 through Monday, Nov. 23 with different hours available for drop-off of the shoeboxes. The operation, through Samaritan’s Purse, provides small gifts, toiletries, and more for youngsters in over 150 countries. You can pick the age and gender of the child you wish to provide a shoebox for; suggestions for items to include are available online at the Operation Christmas Child website.

In this area, in addition to Escalon, there are collection sites in Modesto, Manteca, Ceres, Patterson, Tracy, Waterford, Stockton, Copperopolis, Turlock and Oakdale.

Heritage Church will be open for drop off of shoeboxes on Monday, Nov. 16, Tuesday, Nov. 17 and Thursday, Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 22 from 1 pm. to 4 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 23 from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m.

Many people, in addition to packing the shoeboxes full of small gifts, provide the $9 needed to cover the cost of shipping. Heritage/Escalon Covenant has been the center of the local collection effort for years, with Pam Elsholz at the helm for the past several holiday seasons.

The shoeboxes leave the local area and head to southern California for shipping out from there around the word.

For more information, visit www.samaritanspurses.org/operation-Christmas-child.