Christmas is arriving early in Albert Lea as the First Baptist Church prepares to serve as a collection point for Operation Christmas Child.

Coined the world’s largest Christmas project, Operation Christmas Child collects shoe boxes filled with gifts and sends to children all over the world.

According to local organizer Rosemary Olson of Albert Lea, the church has helped fill shoe boxes for the past five years. This is the first year it will serve as a collection site.

“We have 700 large boxes we need to fill with gift-filled shoe boxes,” she said.

Olson said good gift ideas that fit in shoe boxes include school supplies, stuffed animals, small toys and hard candy. She also encouraged packing extra batteries for toys that require batteries.

“When you’re dealing with a shoe box, you can only get so much in, so make sure your gift items are small,” she said. “But that’s the purpose — to see how many things you can get in this little box.”

Items they do not want included in boxes are items relating to war, liquids and chocolate.

Anyone donating a box should also include $7 shipping costs inside.

She said anyone is welcome to donate, and the church has plenty of shoe boxes, as well, for those who need boxes to fill.

When boxes are collected at First Baptist Church, donors will then fill out a slip of paper that will be attached to the box, including whether the box is for a boy or a girl, and which age group it belongs in. Gifts will be accepted for children ages 2 to 14.

Boxes should not be sealed shut with tape, but with a rubber band.

According to Olson, the church will deliver all shoe boxes to Rochester, and from there, boxes will be shipped to the Twin Cities. She said a processing center will then go through each box, taking out things that are prohibited such as liquids and adding things to boxes that aren’t quite full.

From there, the boxes are shipped to another site in the United States and finally, out of the country.

Operation Christmas Child was started in 1993 by Samaritan’s Purse and strives to send shoe box gifts to more than 8 million children in 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty.

Tracking technology allows donors to follow their boxes to the destination country it is sent. All gifts are hand-delivered by volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse.

To date, the campaign has delivered more than 77 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in 130 countries.

Box collection times:
The First Baptist Church, 335 West Clark St., Albert Lea will collect shoe box gifts Nov. 15 through Nov. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m., Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nov. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. and Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to noon.