Box by box, gifts go out

How to donate a shoe box

o Where: First Evangelical Church, 4120 N.E. Saint Johns Road

o When: Today, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.; Monday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

What to put in

o Toys: small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, jump ropes, yo-yos, harmonicas

o School supplies: pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring books

o Hygiene items: toothbrush and toothpaste, mild bar soap, comb, washcloth

o Other: Flashlights (with extra batteries), t-shirts, socks, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches

o A personal note: In a separate envelope, you can include a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address the child may write back.)

Shoe boxes once filled with brand new kicks can hold gifts and school supplies for needy children around the world.

The First Evangelical Church on Saint Johns Road started accepting gift-filled shoe boxes last week and will keep collecting donations till Monday as part of Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief and evangelism organization, started the program in 1993 and is hoping to reach its goal of donating the 100 millionth shoe box.

Nancy and Art Lemke have been volunteering with Operation Christmas Child for 16 years and head the Southwest Washington collections hosted at First Evangelical, where they’re attending members. The church is a collection site for donations from as far as White Salmon or Longview, and Hood River or Milwaukie, Ore.

The shoe boxes contain small toys, hygiene items and school supplies for kids ages 2 to 14. Lemke said he was told a lot of kids in struggling countries can’t go to school unless they have their own supplies.

“For a lot of kids, this is the only thing they get,” Art Lemke said.

The church has hosted the collection for eight years. By Friday, they had gathered 3,789 boxes, with the biggest haul expected during today’s service and on Monday, the last day to donate. Last year the church collected 11,644 boxes.

Youth Pastor Matt Perez will dedicate the boxes to the children receiving them at today’s service.

Donors can get instructions for how to pack and donate a shoe box, as well as keep track of their box’s whereabouts at http://samaritanspurse.org.

No time to pack one? Donors can order a shoe box gift or give money online.

Patty Hastings: 360-735-4513; twitter.com/col_cops; patty.hastings@columbian.com.