A woman who benefited from the Operation Christmas Child program when she was a young girl in the former Soviet Union visits Abbotsford to share her story on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Elena Nicholson visits the House of James (2743 Emerson St.) at 2 p.m.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of the international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, which delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year.
For years, Abbotsford families have participated in the program.
Nicholson was eight years old when she and her sister were moved from an abusive, poverty-stricken home into an orphanage in the former Soviet Union. At a time when she was feeling unloved, she was handed an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. It was the first gift she had ever received.
In 2004, she was adopted by a loving family in the United States.
Nicholson wants to encourage residents as they kick off the upcoming collection season to fill more shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and personal care items – contributing to the global goal of reaching 12 million children.
During Operation Christmas Child’s national collection week from Nov. 18 to 24, Abbotsford residents can bring gift-filled shoeboxes to multiple drop-off locations across the area to be announced in late October.
Visit samaritanspurse.ca for more information on how to pack a box or to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, and then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
