We have 100 million reasons to say thank you (From Swindon Advertiser)

We have 100 million reasons to say thank you

5:00pm Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News

OPERATION Christmas Child has reached the milestone of delivering 100 million shoeboxes to needy children around the world thanks to the support of people in Wiltshire.

Since 1990, through Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse has been providing gifts to children in more than 100 countries.

More than 15,700 Shoebox gift-filled shoeboxes from across Wiltshire have been exported to vulnerable children in Belarus, Liberia, Swaziland and Ukraine. They were sent from the processing centre at Melksham as part of Operation Christmas Child, one of the UK’s largest annual children’s charity projects.

Wiltshire regional manager for Operation Christmas Child Roger Fenton said: “I would like to thank the volunteers at our collection sites and all those who packed an Operation Christmas Child shoe box gift.

“For many of the children who receive these gifts, this shoe box will be the first gift they have ever received. Thank you again to everyone who took part in this project.

“We’re so grateful that despite the recession and the hardship everyone is feeling people have really gone the extra mile this year to pack shoeboxes with love and because of that we’ve been able to reach our 100 millionth shoebox.”