Make needy kids' holidays happy

Local volunteers are already getting a jump on the Christmas season. Right now, thousands of shoe box gifts personally packed by Los Angeles-area children, families and individuals are being collected as part of some 8 million gifts for underprivileged children in more than 100 countries. From the Los Angeles area, the shoe box gifts will be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary - sea containers, trucks, buses, trains, airplanes, helicopters, boats, camels, even dog sleds - to reach suffering children around the world.

LOCAL COLLECTION SITES (Nov. 12-19):

Calvary Chapel Montebello - 931 S. Maple Ave; Montebello, Calif. 90640; (800) 643-4667
Mon. – Tues.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Wed.: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.; Thurs. – Fri.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.Sat.: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.; Mon. (11/19): 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Calvary Chapel South Bay - 19300 S. Vermont Ave.; Gardena, Calif. 90248; (800) 920-4783
Mon. – Fri.: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Sat.: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Sun.: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Mon. (11/19): 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church - 639 North Soldano Avenue; Azusa, Calif. 91702; (800) 643-4667
Mon. – Sat.: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Sun.: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
PREPARE - Enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take part in packing shoe boxes with gifts for needy children worldwide
PACK - Fill a shoe box with school supplies, toys, necessity items, candy and a letter of encouragement. Step-by-step instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org
PROCESS - Sign up to join Operation Christmas Child volunteers at collection sites in Los Angeles as part of the effort to prepare millions of shoe box gifts for delivery to underprivileged kids on six continents

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international, Christian, relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, has delivered more than 54 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 120 countries. For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (714) 432-7030 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week is Nov. 12-19.