Gift-filled shoeboxes being collected

  A shoebox can brighten a needy child's holiday spirits.

  That is, the shoebox and some toys and other items packed inside it as gifts.

  Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization, distributes gift-filled shoeboxes as holiday gifts to children living in war-torn areas and other places of turmoil around the world.

  Two Yuma-area churches are looking for any area residents who would like to donate gift-wrapped shoeboxes for the effort, dubbed Operation Christmas Child.

  The boxes can be dropped off Thursday through Sunday at Mount Zion Church and Morningside Southern Baptist Church.

  Items that residents can purchase to go into the boxes include small toys, clothing items, school supplies such as paper, pens and markers, and hygiene items, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, bar soap, wash cloths, combs and brushes, said Kelly Smith, relay center coordinator at Mount Zion Church for Operation Christmas Child.

   Playthings should not include toy guns, knives, soldiers or other toys that serve as reminders of war, since some of the boxes will be distributed to children living near combat zones, Smith said.

  Gifts also should not include breakable items, chocolate, perishable food or any liquid, she added. Hard candy is allowed.

  The gifts should all fit together inside a shoebox that the donor is also asked to provide.

  Operation Christmas Child leaves it up to donors to decide the gender and age group of the children for whom they assemble the boxes, Smith said. When they turn in the boxes, they will be asked to indicate whether the child is a boy or girl and whether the child falls within the age groups of 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14.

  Smith asked that the donors gift-wrap the lid and the boxes separately, with the wrapping paper folding over into the boxes.

  Donors are also asked to contribute $7 in cash to cover the cost of international shipping.

  The shoeboxes can be dropped off at Mount Zion, 2445 E. 24th St., from 9 to 3 p.m. Thursday; noon-2 p.m. and 4:30-7:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; and 1-6 p.m. Sunday.

  At Morningside, the boxes can be dropped off 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4:30-7:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.

  For more information, call Smith at 726-7661 or 210-3362.