Marion United Methodist Church served as a drop-off location for Operation Christmas Child this year. Local people and churches purchased the gifts and items and filled shoeboxes to donate, then dropped them at the church over a week. A total of 718 boxes were collected and sent out this year. On Saturday, Nov. 21, Lee Tate of the Southern Baptist Association, along with a volunteer from Bush Hog in Selma, picked up the boxes that had been packed for shipment by volunteers at the church. Bush Hog also provided a truck to take the boxes to their next location in Prattville. From there, they will travel on to a processing center in Georgia, where volunteers will inspect the boxes for items that are not allowed. Two groups of volunteers from the Perry County area will travel to Georgia in December to help with the screening and processing. After leaving the processing center, the boxes will be sent to children around the world. Volunteers wanted to thank local chairperson Sandra Reed, pictured above (right) with MUMC’s Linda Tucker, for working to organize this year’s successful drive.
