By THOMAS JENKINS
Staff Writer
Any concerns local organizers with the Operation Christmas Child program had of not meeting their 700-shoebox goal this year were swept away this week, as they delivered more than 800 of the holiday boxes to a collection point in Odessa Monday night.
Brenda Franklin, Operation Christmas Child relay center coordinator for the charity's Big Spring drop off point, said the group delivered 840 shoeboxes filled with Christmas gifts destined for children all over the world, well surpassing their goals. “Last year we collected 685 shoeboxes, and this year we were shooting for 700, so it was really a pleasant surprise when we did the final count,” said Franklin. “God is good. What else can I say? There are going to be a lot of smiling kids this Christmas season.” The operation is a project offered annually by the Samaritan’s Purse charity to provide shoeboxes full of gifts to children all over the world. “These boxes will be the only thing many of these children will have to open Christmas morning,” said Franklin. “Many donors will put scriptures and words of encouragement in the gift, as well, so I feel like we’re helping to deliver a really good message.” Franklin said she wasn't the only Operation Christmas Child volunteer to make her goal this holiday season. “When we got to the drop off point in Odessa, they had 5,641 shoeboxes ready to be shipped to the distribution point in Colorado,” said Franklin. “It really was an amazing thing to see. The lady in charge of the collection point had set a goal of 4,000 shoeboxes this year, so we're not the only ones that managed to exceed our goal. Obviously, this is a big year for the program.” Franklin said local churches played a large role in the success of the program in the Crossroads area this year. “We had several new churches participate this year, so that really helped out a lot. Also, a lot of the churches that have been helping year after year were able to collect even more,” said Franklin. “So the churches really did a lot to help make this year's effort a success. But it's the kids who will really benefit from this.” Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 61 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.
Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at
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