Nov. 18 – 25: Drop-off Sites Open for Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is underway with hundreds of county churches, community groups, families and individuals filling shoeboxes with fun toys, hygiene items and school supplies for children around the world who are affected by war, poverty and natural disaster.

Eight drop-off sites in St. Charles County will be open during National Collection Week Nov. 18-25 to collect the shoebox gifts. New Creation Church in historic downtown Wentzville and 2Rivers Church in Weldon Spring are new drop-offs this year. Please note: Joy Community Church will not be a drop-off this year due to moving to a new location in O'Fallon.

St. Charles County drop-offs are listed below. They will be open two or more hours per day during National Collection Week. Please visit the drop-off locator for hours of operation: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/.

St. Charles County sites are:

Dardenne Presbyterian Church, 7400 South Outer 364 Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368

St. Charles Christian Church (New Town), 3337 Rue Royale Street, Saint Charles, MO 63301-8217

Grace Community Chapel, 7661 Mexico Road, Saint Peters, MO 63376-3503

Element Church, 100 Mall Parkway Ste 500, Wentzville, MO 63385-4844

First Baptist Church of St. Charles, 2701 Muegge Road, Saint Charles, MO 63303-3036

NorthRoad Community Church (Harvester Campus), 1120 Jungs Station Road, Saint Charles, MO 63303-6086

*NEW* New Creation Church, 5 West Pearce Blvd., Wentzville, MO 63385

*NEW* 2Rivers Church, 88 Hubble Drive, O Fallon, MO 63368-8694

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call volunteer area coordinator Jennifer Fay at 636-328-7871, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through "Follow Your Box" and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child's specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 168 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.