This month, 19 locations in the San Diego area will serve as collection sites for Operation Christmas Child—the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. The annual Samaritan’s Purse project is a favorite of many San Diego County residents, families, churches, and groups who spread joy to children around the world by filling shoeboxes with new toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement. 

“By packing a shoebox with simple gifts, people in San Diego can make a real difference in the life of a child halfway around the world. Anyone can do it, and each gift means so much to a child facing difficult circumstances,” said San Diego volunteer Kristen Parks, who has participated in Operation Christmas Child for 18 years and is now teaching her two young daughters about the joy of giving. “Packing OCC shoeboxes has definitely become one of our favorite family traditions.” 

During National Collection Week, Nov. 18 – 25, local residents hope to contribute 45,000 gift-filled shoeboxes to the 2019 global goal of reaching 11 million children in need. These boxes can be dropped off at the following locations:

SAN DIEGO COUNTY COLLECTION SITES – Open Nov. 18 – 25, 2019

(Open hours vary, and can be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ)

EL CAJON – Foothills Christian Church 

365 W. Bradley Ave., El Cajon, CA 92020

EL CAJON – Grace Fellowship of San Diego

496 S. 3rd St., El Cajon, CA 92019

SAN DIEGO – North Park Community Church

3702 29th St., San Diego, CA 92104

SAN DIEGO – Balboa Community Church

6555 Balboa Ave., San Diego, CA 92111 (Enter on Mt. Albertine Ave.)

SAN DIEGO – City View Church

8404 Phyllis Place, San Diego, CA 92123

SAN DIEGO – Mira Mesa Chinese Baptist Church

6920 Miramar Road #100, San Diego, CA 92121

LEMON GROVE – First Baptist Church of Lemon Grove

2910 Main St., Lemon Grove, CA 91945

BONITA – Sweetwater Community Church

5305 Sweetwater Road, Bonita, CA 91902

CHULA VISTA – Concordia Lutheran Church

1695 Discovery Falls Drive, Chula Vista, CA 91915

CHULA VISTA – Canyon Community Church

610 Paseo del Rey, Chula Vista, CA 91910

IMPERIAL BEACH – Westview Bible Church

587 Delaware St., Imperial Beach, CA 91932

PINE VALLEY – Pine Valley Community Church

28944 Old Highway 80, Pine Valley, CA 91962

RAMONA – Grace Community Church

1234 Barger Pl., Ramona, CA 92065

NORTH COUNTY SAN DIEGO

OCEANSIDE – Calvary Chapel Oceanside 

3715 Oceanic Way, Oceanside, CA 92056

CARLSBAD – Coastline Church

2215 Calle Barcelona, Carlsbad, CA 92009

ESCONDIDO – Grace Lutheran Church

643 W. 13th Street, Escondido, CA 92025

VALLEY CENTER – Grace Point Church

30053 Miller Road, Valley Center, CA 92082

SAN MARCOS – Grace Church

855 E. Barham Dr., San Marcos, CA 92078

FALLBROOK – Community Baptist Church

731 S. Stage Coach Lane, Fallbrook, CA 92028

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child in the San Diego area, call 619-606-2597 or visit the Samaritan’s Purse website, samaritanspurse.org/occ.  

By going online to give the suggested donation of $9 for shipping and processing each shoebox gift, participants can follow their box to discover the country where it will be delivered. They can also pack a personalized shoebox gift online, and even upload a photo and note of encouragement.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 168 million children in more than 160 countries and territories. For many of these children, it is the first gift they have ever received.