Dear Editor:
Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week 2025 has ended. Another incredible year of shoebox collection occurred at the Trinity Baptist drop-off location in Keystone Heights.
Our Lake Area Region often goes above and beyond. I clearly witnessed this through Operation Christmas Child, an evangelistic ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. I am the team leader for the Keystone Heights Central Drop-off Location. The 2025 global goal is 12.6 million shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys. Shoebox gifts have been delivered to over 170 countries since 1993. The awesome number of 6431 shoeboxes poured in locally to bless poor children all around the world! Four other drop-off locations for the Santa Fe Region Area also transported their cartons of shoeboxes to us. The grand total amounted to 16,734 shoeboxes! After inspection at the Atlanta Processing Center, these gift boxes will be delivered overseas. An army of volunteers is required to pack, collect, inspect, and deliver shoeboxes to the delighted children, many of whom have never received any gift before.
I am thankful for each hand involved locally in this worldwide ministry. I am always thrilled to see the donors come in with exciting testimonies. Our community unequivocally rises to the occasion. Stores and restaurants advertised with colorful posters. Red and green decorative OCC shoeboxes were offered at Clyde’s Cozy Corner Café and Johnny’s Bar-B-Q. Johnny’s famous sign shared the location and dates for the collection of the gift boxes.
McDonald’s once again donated Happy Meal toys as fillers. Ladies crocheted hats and purses. Handmade embroidered dresses found their way into some shoeboxes. Hundreds of handmade wooden cars added fun to the gift boxes. The Lake Region Monitor published photos and articles. Fifty-one volunteers served to collect, count and cartonize the shoeboxes at the drop-off over eight days. Strong men loaded 407 cartons onto three semi-trailers. Deserving recognition are the 30 churches and Christian ministries, three civic groups, and nine individuals and families who joyfully packed the shoe-boxes. They came from 13 locations: Gainesville, Hampton, Hawthorne, Jacksonville, Keystone Heights, LaCrosse, Lawtey, Melrose, Middleburg, Palatka, Penney Farms, Raiford, Starke, St. Augustine and Waldo.
Moments of reflection with prayer were offered as each individual or group came in with their gift boxes. It did not matter if it was one box or 100 boxes; we prayed over each and every one because each gift box represents one child who will receive it and also hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
Sacrificial donors, you did another marvelous job! You are helping to change the lives of 6,431 boys and girls, ages 2-14. Our global world has allowed us to touch the lives of many children in desperate need of hope. Many emails were received this year from recipients of shoeboxes living in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Niger, and Zanzibar. A Sunday school teacher in Cote d’Ivoire shared, “Your thoughtful gifts brought immense joy to the children, and the message of the Gospel that accompanied them touched many hearts.” Chris in Cote d’Ivoire shared, “I am very happy happy happy and so grateful.”
We are representing Jesus when we give these amazing gifts. Pray for the children who will receive our shoeboxes packed in 2025. Imagine the looks of delight as the children open these treasure boxes! Whenever the shoeboxes arrive, it is Christmas! We celebrate each beautiful shoebox packed in this region with a heart of love. A sincere thank you from my heart to each donor. Merry Christmas!
So very grateful,
Diane Michel
Team Leader
Keystone Heights Central Drop-off Location
Operation Christmas Child
