JUNCTION CITY — Junction City First Baptist Church kicked off National Shoebox Collection Week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Nov. 14, attended by (from left) Cheryl Hardin, Jean Denny, Marty Montgomery, Ramona Kendrick Jim Harris, Donna Kidd, Roy Lee Phillips, and Jaime Kendrick with Pastor Choe Sergent cutting the ribbon.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of the international relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse. The mission is to provide shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies, as a means of reaching out to children in communities around the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. These simple gifts are shipped outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine and disease; and to children living on Native American reservations in the U.S.

Junction City First Baptist collection center will be open 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 12-8 p.m. Sunday; and 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21.

Centenary United Methodist is in its second year as a collection center and will be open 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday; 4-7 p.m. Thursday; 1:30-4:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday; 1-6 p.m. Sunday; and 8:30-10:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 21.