Samaritan's Purse Australia & New Zealand

Operation Christmas Child is in full swing with thousands of shoe boxes pouring into our processing centres in Australia and New Zealand every day.

This Christmas we expect to send gift-filled shoe boxes to more than 320,000 disadvantaged children in countries as varied as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Yes, 320,000!

However, whereas we expect to meet the 320,000 shoe box target, about 1 in 10 of the boxes we receive come without the requested $9 donation which we need to run the project.

As you know, we ask every donor to include a gift of $9 with each shoe box that they give, but it is very understandable that not everyone is able to meet this request.

Many of our donors are school children, pensioners or families who are already making a great sacrifice by giving a shoe box.

The $9 is needed to cover not only the sea freight of the boxes to their overseas destinations, but all the project costs of Operation Christmas Child. This includes the processing centres, staffing, communications, transport and vital training programs for overseas national teams that receive and distribute the shoe boxes in their countries.

So you can see why overcoming this shortfall is just so important and why the team here at Samaritan’s Purse is so grateful for whatever you are able to give.

Thank you for making a contribution towards the Operation Christmas Child shortfall and helping hundreds of thousands of children overseas have the most amazing Christmas ever!