Calhoun Countains set a new record with their support of Operation Christmas Child – an international project that delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to children all over the world.
Jimmy Cole, who leads the local effort based out of First Baptist Church in Calhoun City, said they delivered 2,117 boxes this year from the county.
“That’s up 43% from last year,” Cole said.
The Northeast collection site, which includes Calhoun, collected a total of 29,714 boxes, an increase of 16% from last year.
The shoeboxes, which are filled with a variety of items including small toys, Bibles, candy, and more – are shipped to Atlanta and from there overseas to reach suffering children around the world.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 77 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.
Cole said the boxes in Calhoun come from private citizens, school groups, clubs and organizations and from the many churches in Calhoun County.
“We would like to thank everyone who has supported this project so well, especially all of our churches,” Cole said. “We had several new churches participating this year with the program and most of our repeat churches contributed more boxes this year.”