Spring Hill, TN, Nov. 10, 2020——The Spring Hill drop-off location will open Nov. 16 and will offer curbside drop-off service for the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child.

Volunteers at The Refuge Church in Spring Hill are preparing to collect hundreds of shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 16 ­– 23.  Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts—filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys—to children worldwide for more than two decades. For the first time ever, The Refuge Church is the designated as an official Drop-Off Center for Operation Christmas Child’s packed shoeboxes. The Refuge is located at 2001 Campbell Station Parkway, Ste. A7 (near Acapulco Restaurant) and is the only Drop-Off Center in Spring Hill.

“There’s still time for individuals, families, and groups to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts,” shared Suzie Treanor. “One box, plus one child, is one more soul for Jesus.” Treanor, a Spring Hill resident, serves as Operation Christmas Child’s Drop-Off Center Team Leader at The Refuge Church. “The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need,” said Tony Lollis, senior pastor at The Refuge.

“In the midst of the pandemic, the needs are greater than ever before,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Children around the world need to know that God loves them and there is hope. A simple shoebox gift opens the door to share about the true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”

There is still time to participate.  Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage.

Curbside drop off at the Refuge in Spring Hill is open:

• Monday, Nov. 16, [4 p.m. – 8 p.m.]
• Tuesday, Nov. 17, [4 p.m. – 8 p.m.]
• Wednesday, Nov. 18, [5 p.m. – 8 p.m.]
• Thursday, Nov. 19, [5 p.m. – 8 p.m.]
• Friday, Nov. 20 [4 p.m. – 7 p.m.]
• Saturday, Nov. 21, [12 p.m. – 3 p.m.]
• Sunday, Nov. 22, [1 p.m. – 3 p.m.]
• Monday, Nov. 23, [7 a.m. – 9 a.m.]

In addition to The Refuge Church in Spring Hill, the other drop-off locations in Williamson County are: Bethel World Outreach Church (Brentwood); First Baptist Church (Fairview); Full Life Assembly of God (Franklin); and Grassland Heights Baptist Church (Franklin). Drop off locations in Maury County are: Highland Park Baptist Church (Columbia) and The First Family First Baptist Church (Columbia). Collection hours at each site may vary. To find the location and hours other Drop-Off Centers visit https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/.

Those interested in more information on how Operation Christmas Child is making adjustments during its National Collection Week can visit the organization’s Important COVID-19 Updates webpage for the latest information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 178 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.