Joyce Rase, director of Temple Tots Preschool, said children in the summer program are helping to put shoe boxes together for Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham.

“This year we have 98 children enrolled for the summer program, and unlike other years, we have a lot of kids up to age 13,” said Rase, who wanted the children to have something meaningful to do this summer. She didn’t know what that project would be, but said she asked God to give them some type of ministry.

“Out of the blue, Susan Horr contacted me because she has grandchildren who come here,” Rase said. Horr, who is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas Child, mentioned OCC and Rase decided she would love for the children to be involved.

“We started getting our heads together and realizing how much we could do,” Rase said.

The children are excited, she said, as they help pack shoe box gifts and prepare items for the 5,000 Shoe Box Community Packing Party in October.

The children are stuffing candy into baggies and also collecting money to buy supplies for the shoe boxes.

“The goal for July is to collect 100 boxes,” Rase said. “The children are very excited about helping other children.”

Candy for the children to use in preparing the shoe boxes came to them after Horr, owner of local ACE Hardware stores, set up a display with Ginny Cook, OCC coordinator, and Tiffany Pistole, OCC volunteer, in front of ACE Hardware recently in Wheelersburg.

“It was such a blessing — we connected with so many people,” Horr said. “We weren’t even asking for money, but received $35 in donations.”

She said that money was used to buy the candy for the kids at Temple Tots in preparing their shoe boxes.

Since 1993, OCC has delivered more than 69 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in about 130 countries.

Locally, volunteers collect simple shoe box gifts personally packed by children, families and individuals in Adams, Scioto, Pike, Ross, Jackson, Vinton, Gallia, Meigs, Athens, Hocking and Lawrence counties.

DEBORAH DANIELS can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 234.