National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child

HATTIESBURG, MISS. - It's "National Collection Week" for Operation Christmas Child. The organization came to the Pine Belt in 1999, and they collect shoe boxes filled with toys to give to children for Christmas, trying to make sure that not one child goes without. "You know the thing about it is most of the children that received these have never received a gift before and it's amazing," Operation Christmas Child's area coordinator, Wayne Landers said. "Since we started there has been over one-hundred-forty million shoe boxes shipped to over one-hundred-fifty countries around the world. There are eighteen countries that participate in the ministry. The U.S. is the largest and last year we collected a little over twelve million shoe boxes." Operation Christmas Child is currently taking donations at Venture Church in Hattiesburg.