With the increase in the price of gasoline, home heating oil and food from last year, many families here on Long Island are having to scale back on gifts during the upcoming Christmas season. Some are limiting how much they spend; others are only buying items that are on sale. But what about the child in Ghana, Mozambique, Mexico, Jamaica or Mongolia who has never received a gift at Christmas, or any other time of the year, nor has any idea about the ultimate gift that God gave us at Christmas? Should that impoverished child go without this year because Long Islanders are cutting back from our usual allotments of Christmas gift giving? Please don't let this happen. With your help, this year many children, all around the world, will receive a seemingly ordinary shoe box that has been packed with toys, school supplies and necessity items, such as a toothbrush, a comb, toiletries, etc. The box may even contain some hard candy, a photo from the caring family who packed the box and it might just include your letter of encouragement. For some children, this will be the only gifts they have ever received.

Last year OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD collected more than 7.6 million shoe boxes, filled with gifts, and distributed those boxes to children in over 90 countries.

This year, Operation Christmas Child will be collecting shoe boxes from Monday November 17 through Monday November 24 at the Nassau County Collection site at The Life (formerly Redeemer Lutheran Church) located at One Old Westbury Road (corner of Jericho Tpke & Old Westbury Road).

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham. Since its inception in 1993, when 28,000 shoe box gifts were collected, more than 53 million have been hand delivered to children all over the world, including tsunami survivors in Southeast Asia, school children attached by terrorists in Beslan, Russia, children devastated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, war orphans in Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia and Rwanda, as well as children left homeless in Honduras and Nicaragua by Hurricane Mitch and those affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Through these shoe boxes, children are introduced to the hope and love they can have in Jesus Christ. While life has appeared to have dealt many of these children, God has not forgotten them as His love is evidenced through your continued generosity.

In addition to making a shoe box, our collection site is always in need of volunteers. Individuals, families, churches, scout troops, schools and civic organizations are welcome to assist at the collection site. Simply phone 1-800-590-3874 and leave a message regarding your availability, or if you need further information or directions to the collection site. Someone will get back to you.

For more information on Operation Christmas Child, please visit www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index. Thank you for giving to those with the greatest need.