Published: November 05, 2009 09:21 pm      

Norwood Heights serving as Operation Christmas Child drop-off

Our Town column

PALESTINE — Christmas is arriving early all over Palestine, as Norwood Heights Baptist Church prepares to serve as a collection point for Operation Christmas Child. With the help of local volunteers, the site will be brimming with festively wrapped shoe boxes full of gifts. 

Palestine has served as an official Operation Christmas Child drop-off site for more than 10 years. This year, organizers hope to collect 1,000 gift-filled shoe boxes from families, children, churches, schools and civic organizations in the area.

Through Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, Palestine residents are packing shoe box gifts for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty. From Palestine, the shoe box gifts will be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary — sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camels, even dog sleds — to reach suffering children around the world.

Norwood Heights Baptist Church is located at 2214 Texas 155. Collection times are from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 16-20; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 21; and from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 22.

“Operation Christmas Child is a unique opportunity to do something as simple as packing a shoe box that will have a lasting impact on a child a world away,” said Tammy Pike, Operation Christmas Child drop-off site coordinator. “We are excited about the 2009 collection season as community members have already begun packing shoe box gifts.”

Operation Christmas Child uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow your box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoe box gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 69 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.

How can you get involved?

• Prepare — Enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take part in creating shoe box gifts for needy children worldwide. Many local churches are already participating in this project.

• Pack — Fill shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items, hard candy and a letter of encouragement. Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org.

• Process — Sign up to join Operation Christmas Child volunteers at the collection site in Palestine as part of the effort to prepare millions of shoe box gifts for delivery to underprivileged kids on six continents.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 817-595-2230 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week is Nov. 16-23.

For more local information, call Norwood Heights at 903-729-4938.



DAV service hours increase

Due to the increased volume of veterans seeking help, the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 63 in Palestine is doubling the number of days the service office will be available to help veterans seeking help in applying for their benefits.

The DAV Hall at 927 Gardner Dr. will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, service officers Vernon Denmon and Mack Powers will be available to help veterans. On Thursday, Frankie Gilbert will be available.

Service officers are trained to help all veterans apply for benefits from the VA, including filling out the correct forms for disability income, pension, health benefits, VA loans for homes, education, survivor benefits and other benefits that might from time to time come out. 

You don't have to belong to the DAV, nor any other veterans service organization, in order to use the services of the service officers, you must simply be a veteran.