Westside Baptist Church opened its Family Life Center on Nov. 13 to collect shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. The church is a Central Drop Off Location for OCC, a ministry of Samaritans Purse. When the church began as a Relay Center in 2004, they collected 1,234 boxes during their first year. Their goal this year is 13,000 shoeboxes.

Collections are ongoing through Nov. 20 and anyone wishing to make donations can bring them to Westside Baptist Church, located at 6834 Hwy. 1 Bypass in Natchitoches.

FBLA and fourth grade students from St. Mary’s dropped off 84 boxes on Monday.

The OCC West Central La Team is comprised of the following: First Baptist in Winn Parish, Calvary Baptist in Sabine Parish, Martin Baptist in Red River Parish and Westside Baptist in Natchitoches Parish. Anyone outside of Natchitoches Parish can make donations to the churches listed above, which will then bring their collections to Natchitoches on Nov. 20. The collections will be loaded onto eighteen wheelers and shipped off for distribution around the world.

This is the 4th year Westside has operated as a Central Drop Off Center.

The shoeboxes are packed with toiletries(comb, hair brush, toothbrush, washcloth, soap); school supplies (composition book, paper, pens, papers, crayons, erasers, scissors, colored pens, glue stick); toys, stuff animals, clothing and shoes. They are sent to over 105 countries. Each child receives a book, “The Greatest Gift,” which is written in over 80 different languages. Upon receiving a shoebox and the book the child my enroll in the Greatest Journey which is 12 lessons.

For additional information contact Brenda Ingram at 318-471-9415.