Operation Christmas Child delivers joy to kids worldwide

Samaritan’s Purse is spreading the word about an iconic and impactful program that you can contribute to during the fast-approaching holiday season.

“Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year,” stated a press release.

According to Samaritan’s Purse, 11.9 million shoebox gifts were collected globally in 2024. Operation Christmas Child has assembled and distributed over 232 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories.

“For years, Pahrump families have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world. One of these gifts reached Veronica Miranda in Mexico when she was a young girl,” the press release detailed.

Miranda visited Pahrump in September to speak with local groups and churches to share her story about how Operation Christmas Child impacted her life.

“Everybody was just so welcoming,” Miranda told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We shared my story with them, and we had a lot of people afterward come up and share stories of how they’ve been packing shoeboxes for years and other people just interested in getting involved further with the organization.”

Miranda was born in Texas and lived there until she was eight years old. She then moved to Mexico with her mother and siblings. Miranda lost her relationship with her father when she left America.

“My uncle (who we were living with) was killed and we had to relocate. Honestly, from that moment on, we were going from one place to another. We didn’t really have anything stable going on in our lives,” Miranda explained.

As she was still processing her uncle’s death, her youngest brother passed away from a head injury when he fell off a bunk bed.

“Losing my dad and losing my uncle and now losing my brother. I was just such an angry kid at that point,” she said.

Two months after this, Miranda’s mother was arrested and sent to prison on drug-related charges. After this, Miranda and her siblings moved to an orphanage in Mexico. While living at the orphanage, on Christmas Day, Miranda received a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child.

“When I got to the bottom of my box, I opened up a Christmas card and it was in English. It said, ‘Merry Christmas. You have a family that loves you and is praying for you.’ I just started crying and felt so loved and seen,” Miranda recalled. “I didn’t feel alone in that moment. That was the first Christmas without my family, at least without my mom. So, reading those words had a huge impact in my life.”

Miranda said she still packs shoeboxes today and emphasized that everyone can help with Operation Christmas Child, regardless if you’re a Christian or not.

“It’s a great way for us to come together as a community and bless children all around the world,” she enthused.

Gift-filled shoeboxes may be donated at multiple drop-off locations in Nevada during National Collection Week from Nov. 17 to 24. Locations will be announced in late October.

For more information about Operation Christmas Child and how to get involved visit samaritanspurse.org/occ

Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com