The holiday season is hitting its stride and there are many groups that look to help make it better for kids that are less fortunate and in need of holiday cheer.
Gainesville’s Lakewood Baptist Church is helping with this by hosting the Samaritan’s Purse foundation’s annual Operation Christmas Child program today, Monday, November 24, 2025
between 10:00 and 2:00. Lakewood Baptist Church is located at 2235 Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville.
Lakewood Baptist is a regional collection center, gathering thousands of “shoeboxes” of children’s gifts to be shipped around the world. Volunteers at Lakewood Baptist are hoping to collect up to 19,ooo shoe boxes full of boxes that contain toys, clothes, toiletries, school supplies and other needed items. Many churches are participating nationwide in the Operation Christmas Child program.
Operation Christmas Child is a global project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization, aimed at demonstrating God’s love to children in need around the world through gift-filled shoeboxes. The initiative involves individuals, families, and groups packing shoeboxes with toys, personal care items, school supplies, and other fun gifts, which are then delivered to children in over 170 countries and territories. The program began in the United Kingdom in 1990 by Dave and Jill Cooke and merged with Samaritan’s Purse in 1993, significantly expanding its reach. Since 1993, more than 232 million shoebox gifts have been collected and delivered globally.
Samaritan’s Purse’s website can show you what exactly is done to pack a shoe box full of items needed for a donation. More details about making the deadline at Lakewood Baptist Church’s location can be found through this link at their website.
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