Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church, 1199 Valley Road, Quarryville, will take collections for the yearly Operation Christmas Child program from Monday, Nov. 14, to Monday, Nov. 21. The program collects shoeboxes filled with small gifts, which are then distributed to children around the globe.

Middle Octorara Presbyterian became involved with Operation Christmas Child in the mid-1990s when its youth group started collecting items to donate, and the church officially became a drop-off location in 2009. On Sunday, Nov. 13, the church will host a packing party from 9 to 10 a.m., and members of the public are invited to join church church members in bringing and packing items for the collection. Last year, the church contributed 85 boxes and received over 2,000 donations from other local churches, organizations and individuals. "I love seeing people bringing their boxes in. Each year, we get a couple young kids that proudly carry their one or two boxes, which are just as important as the 200 that another church might donate," said Dan Henry, coordinator of the drive. "It's so fun to chat with them and ask what they put in their boxes."

On the last day of collection, church members will load the donated boxes into a truck, so they can be sent to the processing center in Baltimore. On Monday, Dec. 5, volunteers will drive to the processing center to assist with donations that are then distributed around the world.

The primary items needed for the supply drive are school supplies, personal hygiene items and small toys. Samaritan's Purse requests that those donating do not include toothpaste, used items, war-related items such as toy weapons or military figurines, foods, liquids, medication or fragile items. Participants may donate $10 per shoebox gift to receive tracking information for their package and learn its destination on the Samaritan's Purse website.

Operation Christmas Child was started in 1993 by the organization Samaritan's Purse, when its president, Franklin Graham, received a call from a man in England requesting shoeboxes full of gifts for children in Bosnia. Samaritan's Purse partnered with a church in Charlotte, N.C., to collect thousands of boxes of gifts and letters for the recipients. Since its inception, Operation Christmas Child has facilitated the collection and delivery of over 198 million shoebox gifts in 170 countries. Anyone may prepare a box and drop it off at one of the over 5,000 locations in all 50 states. For more information and to view the list of suggested items, visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child.