The collection season for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, began Monday, Nov. 17 as nearly 5,000 drop-off locations opened across the country. Heritage Church in Escalon is a local drop off site for the program. Individuals, families and groups have the opportunity to pack a shoebox gift filled with fun toys, school supplies, and personal care items for children in need and drop them off during National Collection Week, Nov. 17 through 24.

At Heritage Church, 1155 Escalon Ave., the hours of operation are scheduled as: Monday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 18, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 19, noon to 3 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 20, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 21, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 23, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Shoeboxes can be picked up at the church and then filled, and brought back during the collection week. Those filling the boxes can also include a $10 donation to help cover shipping costs and Gospel materials to be included, either by check or making the donation online.

Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts to children worldwide for more than three decades. In 2025, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect shoeboxes throughout California to help with the global goal to reach another 12 million children. The project of Samaritan’s Purse partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need.

“Every shoebox gift is an opportunity to tell a boy or girl that God loves them. That’s why we do what we do,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “I’m thankful for every single person who packs a shoebox because these simple gifts open the door for the Gospel.”

Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement. Shoebox gifts built online go to the ends of the earth to children in some of the hardest-to-reach places – whether deep jungles, city slums, steep mountainsides, or one of the more than 1,000 remote Pacific islands.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 232 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.