Again this year, Tuscanooga Baptist Church, located at 18540 Tuscanooga Road, Groveland, Florida, (about 4 miles northwest of Mascotte), has been heavily involved in the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Ministry.
As one of 10 drop-off locations in the Lake and Sumter County area, church volunteers, under the direction of Erin Moore, received and processed 2,000 shoe boxes recently. This was made possible through donations from local schools, churches, individual families, and other community groups.
Each shoebox is filled with age-appropriate gifts for ages 2-4 years, 5-9 years, and 10-14 years; designated for a boy or girl. Contents may include a doll or a soccer ball with a pump, school supplies, hygiene items, craft activities, clothing items, games, etc. After each box is filled, a personal note from the one packing the shoebox is enclosed to its recipient. The shoebox is then prayed over so that the child receiving it will be blessed.
Pictured are volunteers from Tuscasnooga Baptist Church who are also praying over the boxes before they are packed into large cartons for shipment to Atlanta, Georgia. Here they will be prepared for shipment overseas. Organized outreach events are planned for their distribution to children upon arrival in various countries. At these events, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is also shared with the children.
Members of Tuscanooga Baptist Church contributed 369 shoeboxes this year. They wish to express gratitude for the other 1600+ shoeboxes that were brought to their church for processing. These particular shoeboxes are earmarked for delivery to countries in West Africa.
This year a total of 30,000 shoeboxes left Lake and Sumter County for the processing center in Atlanta, Georgia.
For the past 31 years, Samaritan’s Purse has sent Christmas shoeboxes to more than 220 million children in 170 countries; a tangible expression of God’s love!
