The highly successful program to make the lives of children overseas have a brighter Christmas, known as “Operation Christmas Child,” will be collecting shoeboxes filled with toys, hygiene products, and school supplies, the week of November 13 to 20. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse collecting and distributing shoeboxes to 110 different countries, and spreading God’s love since 1993.

“Last year we collected 5,750 shoeboxes in the Williamsport and Jersey Shore areas from many different churches, schools, and individuals,” Bettylou Wheeland, who has been helping coordinate the program locally for 11 years, told Webb Weekly. “The cartons of shoeboxes are transported by C&E Containers of Jersey Shore to Lewisburg then on to Baltimore Inner Harbor at the Processing Center.”

The age category for the boxes are boys and girls, 2 to 4 years of age, 5 to 9, and 10 to 14.

Items to include in the shoeboxes:
School supplies – pencils, crayons notebooks
Hygiene products – bar soap, toothbrushes, washcloths — no liquids
Small toys – puzzles, stuffed toys, balls
Socks, flip-flops, gloves, hats, t-shirts
Flashlights with extra batteries
Personal Notes

Items not to include in the boxes:
NO toothpaste due to customs regulations
NO candy or food items, no seeds
NO war like items, no knives
NO liquids, no lotion, no medications or vitamins no breakable glass items, or aerosol cans.
Shipping cost is $9.00 per shoeboxes.

There are a total of five Operation Christmas Child drop-off sites in the Williamsport-Jersey Shore area.

The five drop-off sites and the times that you can drop off are:

New site:
Christian Church of Newberry – 2101 Linn St., Williamsport
Hours Site is opened:
Mon. – -Sat. – 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Sun. – 12 p.m.-2 p.m.
Mon. – 11/20, – 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
New Site:
Radiant Light Church – 9565 State Route 442, Muncy
Hours Site is opened:
Mon. – 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Tues. – 9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
Wed. – 9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 4-7
Thurs. – 9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 5 p.m.-8 p.m. p.m.
Fri. – 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Sat. – 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sun. – 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Mon. – 11/20 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
Pine Street United Methodist Church – Pine Street, Williamsport
Hours Site is opened: Mon.-Wed. – 12 p.m.-5 p.m.,
Thurs. – 12 p.m.-6 p.m.
Friday – 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
Sat. – 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sun. – 12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Mon. – 11/20 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Christian Church of Cogan Station
Mon.-Thurs. – 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Fri. – 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sat. – 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Sun. – 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Mon. – 11/20, 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Lifetree Church
500 River Rd., Jersey Shore
Mon. – 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Tues. – 9 a.m.-11 a.m. & 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Wed. – . 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Thurs. – 9 a.m.-11 a.m. & 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Fri. – 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Sat. – 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Sun. – 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Mon. – 11/20, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

Wheeland said there are over 30 volunteers from different churches and area High Schools who work at the Drop-off site. For more information or questions please go to: Samaritanspurse.org/occ. Or Email occinfo@samaritan.org.