Trending
ELKINS -- With the holiday season fast approaching, local churches and organizations are putting plans in place to help those who are less fortunate.
One major project each year is Operation Christmas Child, which sends toys and necessities to severely underprivileged children in countries such as Africa and Ukraine.
On Saturday, internationally known Operation Christmas Child spokesperson Mary Damron will be in Elkins to talk about her vision with local supporters. Damron, formerly the organization's regional director in West Virginia, will share first-hand stories at 6:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church.
Damron was first inspired to become involved in the organization in 1993 after seeing Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan's Purse, offer an invitation to participate in filling shoe boxes with gifts for needy children. She accepted Graham's invitation and with the help of some of her neighbors, gathered more than 1,200 shoe boxes that year.
Damron then trucked the boxes from Samaritan's Purse Headquarters in Boone, North Carolina to Ike's Fork, West Virginia. Graham was so moved by Damron's efforts that he interrupted his own Thanksgiving dinner to go meet with her.
"Giving a shoe box doesn't take the children off of the garbage dumps, out of orphanages, or off of the streets, but it does change how they feel about themselves," Damron said. "It tells them that they are special and have a Creator who loves them.
"I've watched a little 5-year-old girl with matted hair who was living on a garbage dump pretend to be a princess, blowing kisses after she put on the jewelry she received in her show box gift."
Damron was asked to accompany Graham on the boxes' delivery route in 1993 and since then she has visited 115 counties and all 50 states. She met with President Bill Clinton when he was in office and was asked to lead a prayer in the oval office.
In 2022, the First United Methodist Church in Elkins provided 1,500 shoe boxes to Samaritan's Purse. All Randolph County churches combined to send out more than 8,000 shoe boxes.
"Operation Christmas Child is a beautiful way to spread the gospel with children around the world," said local OCC project leader Bob Cowgill. "Not only do they receive gifts, they receive scripture lessons in their own languages in each box, and missionaries personally share the word of Jesus with the children."
Shoeboxes and donations for Operation Christmas Child will be accepted at First United Methodist Church through Nov. 1. Empty shoe boxes are available at the church. Those packing a shoebox should include a "wow" item, which can be a stuffed animal, soccer ball with pump, or some type of clothing that will capture the child's attention when he or she opens it.
Other toys, hygiene items and school supplies can be added to help fill the toy box up. The shoebox recipients will be a boy or girl in the age groups 2 to 4, 5 to 9 and 10 to 14.
To learn more about the ministry of Operation Christmas Child, the public is invited to come hear Damron speak and meet local Operation Christmas Child Supporters at First United Methodist Church on Saturday.