Despite the continuation of a global pandemic, residents of Salisbury and Rowan County shared the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season.

Their generosity resulted in 26,443 shoebox gifts collected at drop-off locations around the county for Operation Christmas Child, a project of the international Christian relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse. Combined with those shoeboxes collected from the United States and other partnering countries, the ministry is right now in the process of sending more than 10.5 million shoebox gifts to children worldwide!

And it’s not too late to make a difference! Though our drop-off locations are closed until November 14-21, 2022, anyone can still be a part of this life-changing project by conveniently packing a shoebox online at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline. If you would like more information about the project and how to get involved, please visit our website samaritanspurse.org/occ, or give us a call at 704-583-1463.

Thank you again to everyone in the Salisbury-Rowan County area who participated in this project and for those who faithfully do so year after year. These simple shoebox gifts, packed with love, send a message to children all over the world that they are loved and not forgotten.

— Susan Porter

Statesville