Organizers encourage back

How to participate in Operation Christmas Child• Grab an average-sized shoe box.• Get a label at samaritanspurse.org and specify whether the box is for a boy or girl and what age.• Fill it with a "wow" item such as a soccer ball or stuffed animal, some school supplies and personal care items. Don't forget a personal note.• Drop it off at Harvest Baptist Church, 224 Harvest Lane, Natrona Heights, or one of several locations in Allegheny County. For a list of sites, email [email protected] details, call Harvest Baptist Church at 724-295-0607.

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While temperatures still hover in the 80s, volunteers at Harvest Baptist Church in Harrison already are thinking about Christmas.

The church off the Millerstown exit of Route 28 serves as a drop-off site for Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse, an international outreach that sends thousands of stuffed shoe boxes to needy children across the globe.

“You just picture their faces when they open the box,” said Janelle Tang, Harvest Baptist volunteer. “It’s fun because you can make it as personal as you want.”

Harvest Baptist Church and its adjoining school host packing parties but also accept boxes from the community. About 800 shoe boxes leave the Harvest Lane site each year.

Back to school is the perfect time to ramp up holiday efforts, said Josh Kingsbury, Allegheny County coordinator, because people already are shopping for crayons, notebooks, hygiene items and hair accessories.

“The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world,” he said.

“Many find that this is a great way to do a simple act of generosity as well as sharing love with others.”

Founded in 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoe boxes and Gospel literature to children in 170 countries and territories.

Kingsbury is setting his sights high for this season to mark the ministry’s 30th anniversary.

He hopes to collect about 15,000 shoe boxes from the Pittsburgh area.

In Allegheny County, drop-off locations are available in Harrison, Penn Hills, Shaler, Franklin Park, Moon, West Mifflin and Swisshelm Park.

Locations will be listed on the Operation Christmas Child website in the coming weeks.

Julie Panza, team leader at Elfinwild Presbyterian Church in Shaler, said churches, Scouts and other groups have taken to hosting packing parties to prep their boxes.

“It’s a fun way to share the excitement,” she said.

“Every shoebox represents one child. When you think about the child that is going to receive yours, how can you not be excited for them?”

As the coordinator for the Upper Allegheny central drop-off site, Panza receives boxes packed from more than 100 churches and other groups and, with help from volunteers, loads them into multiple tractor-trailers to be transported to Baltimore.

From there, they are shipped to 100 countries and distributed to children in Colombia, South Africa, Honduras, Haiti, Malawi, Dominican Republic and Mexico.

“We pray for each child receiving a box,” Panza said. “Many of these children have never received a gift before.”

Harvest Baptist has been participating in the effort for eight years. Tang said the school students and church members delight in perfecting ways to wrangle a bunch of items into each box.

“We wrap things, roll things and stuff things inside bigger containers,” she said.

She suggests a variety that includes necessities like toothbrushes and soap, as well as something special for each child, such as a doll or craft.

“We like to put in some kind of school supply every time,” she said. “Even if they don’t get to go to school, they will enjoy crayons or paper.”

She joked that they ensure quality control.

“We make sure we don’t have a 5-year-old who puts all Matchbox cars in one box,” Tang said.

The church doors are open to anyone in the community who wants to compile a box.

No liquids can be shipped.

Each box should contain a note.

Tang said it’s a great way for people to learn about the mission of helping others.

“It’s fun to give gifts, but we want to give the gift of the Gospel, too. Jesus commands us to love each other, and this is how we’re loving children across the world.”

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

How to participate in Operation Christmas Child• Grab an average-sized shoe box.• Get a label at samaritanspurse.org and specify whether the box is for a boy or girl and what age.• Fill it with a "wow" item such as a soccer ball or stuffed animal, some school supplies and personal care items. Don't forget a personal note.• Drop it off at Harvest Baptist Church, 224 Harvest Lane, Natrona Heights, or one of several locations in Allegheny County. For a list of sites, email [email protected] details, call Harvest Baptist Church at 724-295-0607.

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.