Operation Christmas Child collects gift-filled shoeboxes

JACKSON, Tenn — This is the season of giving back and people all over the world are working to make this time of year special for the less fortunate.

Operation Christmas Child, or O.C.C. is a project focused on delivering shoe boxes to children across the United States and internationally. First Baptist church along with many other locations have set up collection centers so folks can drop off their boxes in the Jackson area.

This week First Baptist has collected over 3,000 boxes from local churches.

Volunteer, Debbie Newell said you never know how much of a difference you can make by donating just one box. “A gentleman in our Sunday school class who grew up in Ghana is now a pharmacy professor at Union University.” Newell said the man from her Sunday school class was given a shoe box as a child with the only pair of shoes he would have for that year.

Last year O.C.C. collected over 8 million shoe boxes. The last day First Baptist church will be taking boxes is Monday, Nov 21st from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.