The North Central Louisiana Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Shoebox Kickoff was held Saturday, September 6, at First Baptist Church in Minden and drew a strong turnout from area volunteers.
Attendees heard from guest speaker Jeanine Ford, who traveled to Romania earlier this year to help distribute shoeboxes to children. Ford showed slides and shared how the gifts opened doors to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She also noted that many of the project’s current workers in Romania are former shoebox recipients who gave testimonies of the impact it had on their lives.
“Every shoebox is one more child who hears the Gospel, and if one child hears the Gospel — at the very least — ten more people are impacted by that,” Ford said.
In addition to the presentation, participants discussed goals for the area team, learned how to pack shoeboxes effectively, and explored ways to connect with church leadership to promote OCC throughout the community.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, encourages individuals, families, churches and community groups to fill shoeboxes with small toys, school supplies and hygiene items. The boxes are distributed worldwide, each paired with an opportunity for children to hear the Christian message.
The kickoff also introduced attendees to their local OCC area team, which will continue supporting volunteers throughout this year’s shoebox-packing season.
