BOONE, NC – More than 4,500 locations will open to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts for their annual project conducted by Samaritan’s Purse. Shoeboxes will be collected during National Collection Week which runs Nov. 14–21. Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items, and toys that are given to children along with the Gospel message. Alex Nsengimana was a child from Rwanda, living at an orphanage, after family members were killed by genocide. He received a shoebox that dramatically impacted his life. Alex eventually came to the U.S. and is now working as an ambassador with Samaritan’s Purse. You still have time to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children. You can find out what goes into a shoebox and the nearest drop-off locations by clicking on Alex’s picture below.