Festive shoeboxes reach 100 million

8:51am Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News

OPERATION Christmas Child has reached the milestone of delivering 100 million shoeboxes to needy children around the world thanks to the support of people in Bolton and across Greater Manchester.

Since 1990, through Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse has been providing these gifts to children in more than 100 countries.

More than 38,000 gift filled shoeboxes from across Greater Manchester have been exported to vulnerable children in Belarus, Liberia, Romania, Serbia, Swaziland, Uganda, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

They were sent from processing centres in Horwich, Liverpool, Manchester and Wigan as part of Operation Christmas Child.

Greater Manchester Area Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child, Martyn Catterall, said: “I would like to thank the volunteers at our local collection sites and all those who packed an Operation Christmas Child shoe box gift.

“We’re so grateful that despite the recession and the hardship everyone is feeling people have really gone the extra mile this year to pack shoeboxes with love and because of that we’ve been able to reach our 100 millionth shoebox.”

Samaritan’s Purse is now asking Bolton people to continue to make a difference to needy children around the world by supporting the 2013 Operation Christmas Child campaign.

For more information, visit operationchristmaschild.org.uk.

Comments (5)

12:06pm Tue 29 Jan 13

brian jones says...

Before you donate anything to this cause, do some research into what it's all about. This is an evangelical Christian group which uses the idea of 'charity' to try and indoctrinate children, particularly against Islam. There are other such causes that you can donate to, such as the Rotary, without promoting dangerous Christian fundamentalism.
Before you donate anything to this cause, do some research into what it's all about. This is an evangelical Christian group which uses the idea of 'charity' to try and indoctrinate children, particularly against Islam. There are other such causes that you can donate to, such as the Rotary, without promoting dangerous Christian fundamentalism. brian jones

4:32pm Tue 29 Jan 13

Citizen Cane says...

That's a broad sweeping statement without much basis when you do look into the organisation. Perhaps you'd prefer a group of Rochdale muslim men to distribute the toys instead? Any reason for being pro Islam and anti christian? This is surely not the stated position of Rotary? Do Rotary do these shoeboxes too? Is that the issue?!
That's a broad sweeping statement without much basis when you do look into the organisation. Perhaps you'd prefer a group of Rochdale muslim men to distribute the toys instead? Any reason for being pro Islam and anti christian? This is surely not the stated position of Rotary? Do Rotary do these shoeboxes too? Is that the issue?! Citizen Cane

5:48pm Tue 29 Jan 13

brian jones says...

Not pro-Muslim at all. Or anti-Christian. Anti-fundamentalist? Probably. I'm not keen on any religion, but I certainly don't think there's any place for fundamentalism in the modern world, whatever religion it relates to. And yes, Rotary do hand out shoeboxes, without strings attached, and without sneaking dangerous religious literature into the boxes.
Not pro-Muslim at all. Or anti-Christian. Anti-fundamentalist? Probably. I'm not keen on any religion, but I certainly don't think there's any place for fundamentalism in the modern world, whatever religion it relates to. And yes, Rotary do hand out shoeboxes, without strings attached, and without sneaking dangerous religious literature into the boxes. brian jones

6:02pm Tue 29 Jan 13

brian jones says...

You made a broad sweeping assumption about my feelings towards Christianity and Islam there, Citizen Cane. You've clearly not quite understood my point. Where did you do your research? The Samaritan's Purse and Op Christmas Child websites? Are you making some kind of point about groups of Rochdale Muslim men, by the way?
You made a broad sweeping assumption about my feelings towards Christianity and Islam there, Citizen Cane. You've clearly not quite understood my point. Where did you do your research? The Samaritan's Purse and Op Christmas Child websites? Are you making some kind of point about groups of Rochdale Muslim men, by the way? brian jones

8:22pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Citizen Cane says...

well Brian, that is what the typical reader would do and these web-sites are very careful about what they say about leafletting, for obvious reasons. There is no reference to anti-islamic positions or propaganda. So, unless the average reader is meant to travel to Belarus, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, etc and observe at first hand, then first available impressions count.

To the average reader again, your second sentence comes across as anti-christian/pro-m
uslim, whether intended or not. What's wrong with Rochdale muslim men - a group chosen at random from the locale?

Is an evangelical the same as a fundamentalist? The term fundamentalism has taken a somewhat violent connotation in the last decade. Are OCC dangerous and violent? No indication of that from the web site, but it did imply that they have a way of getting sealed boxes into third world countries which does raise some issues if you think that they are smuggling weapon parts. Not good in child soldier areas - do they distribute in Cote d'Ivoire?

Do Rotary openly oppose the distribution of these boxes by OCC, or is that your personal view? I suspect the latter - no research available.

If I have missed your point, please do explain.
well Brian, that is what the typical reader would do and these web-sites are very careful about what they say about leafletting, for obvious reasons. There is no reference to anti-islamic positions or propaganda. So, unless the average reader is meant to travel to Belarus, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, etc and observe at first hand, then first available impressions count. To the average reader again, your second sentence comes across as anti-christian/pro-m uslim, whether intended or not. What's wrong with Rochdale muslim men - a group chosen at random from the locale? Is an evangelical the same as a fundamentalist? The term fundamentalism has taken a somewhat violent connotation in the last decade. Are OCC dangerous and violent? No indication of that from the web site, but it did imply that they have a way of getting sealed boxes into third world countries which does raise some issues if you think that they are smuggling weapon parts. Not good in child soldier areas - do they distribute in Cote d'Ivoire? Do Rotary openly oppose the distribution of these boxes by OCC, or is that your personal view? I suspect the latter - no research available. If I have missed your point, please do explain. Citizen Cane

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