Wenatchee Adventist Church Delivers Hope for Christmas

By Kristen Merchant

Wenatchee Adventist Church was honored to serve as a donation drop-off location for 2024’s Operation Christmas Child shoebox campaign, a heartfelt initiative bringing joy and hope to children around the globe. From November 18 to November 25, contributions poured in from the Wenatchee community as well as from neighboring areas, including Twisp, Moses Lake, Othello, Omak, and even further beyond. 

Volunteers began the campaign by assembling and stacking empty boxes in preparation for the donations. Each large box was carefully packed to hold 15 to 16 shoeboxes, ensuring they were ready for their journey.

Throughout the week, 7 to 15 daily volunteers dedicated their time to the effort, including students from the local high school, who brought youthful energy and enthusiasm to the project. Volunteers handled donation intake, packing of shoeboxes, and loading shoeboxes into larger boxes for shipping. At the end of the week, the collected shoeboxes were loaded up and sent to Southern California to be sorted and distributed to children around the world.

Special recognition goes to Kristi Rich, whose unwavering dedication and countless hours of effort were instrumental in the success of this event. Heartfelt thanks also go out to all the people who contributed their time, resources, and support to this meaningful cause.

The church community offers a prayer for each child who will receive a shoebox, hoping these gifts bring as much blessing to them as the church felt in collecting them. Operation Christmas Child continues to inspire and unite communities through its mission of love and generosity.

Operation Christmas Child is a Christian non-profit organization that works with local churches outside the United States to share the gospel with children affected by war, poverty, and natural disaster using gift-filled shoeboxes as a symbol of God’s freely given salvation.