Operation Christmas Child Kicks Off in Lubbock With Shoebox Gifts

National Collection Week is officially underway for Operation Christmas Child, and once again, folks across Lubbock and West Texas are stepping up in a big way. Shoebox drop-off locations across the region are now open through November 24th, giving families, churches, and local groups a chance to pack gifts that will travel from the South Plains to children in need around the world.

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Lubbock and West Texas Step Up for Kids in Need

Operation Christmas Child has been delivering shoebox gifts to kids across the globe for more than 30 years, and Lubbock has long been one of the strongest participating areas in the state. Every year, boxes filled with toys, school supplies, and personal care items leave the Hub City and end up in villages, mountainsides, and remote islands most of us have never even heard of.

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, says the mission is simple: tell each child that they are loved. In fact, Graham calls each shoebox “an opportunity to tell a boy or girl that God loves them,” and it’s a message people across West Texas have taken to heart.

Where to Drop Off Shoeboxes in Lubbock

Several churches and community centers in Lubbock are serving as official drop-off locations again this year. Participants can use Samaritan’s Purse’s online locator tool to find the closest site by simply entering a Lubbock ZIP code. Clear signage will mark each location, making it easy to pull up, hand off your shoeboxes, and keep the holiday season moving.

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National Collection Week runs November 17–24, so families have just over a week to get their boxes packed and delivered.

A West Texas Tradition With Global Reach

If you prefer to skip the store crowds, you can also build a virtual shoebox at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline. You pick the toys, add a photo or note, and the organization handles the rest—delivering the gifts to some of the hardest-to-reach places in the world, from dense jungles to isolated islands.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered more than 232 million shoeboxes to children across 170+ countries. And every year, thousands of those boxes start right here in Lubbock and across the South Plains.

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Whether you pack one box or a dozen, West Texans continue to prove that small gifts from our corner of the world can make a big impact far beyond it.