Editor:

This is the third year that Calvary Chapel Evanston has volunteered to be the drop-off center for shoe boxes for children in third world countries. Every year we are surprised by the number of shoe boxes that are collected; this year we collected 434 boxes, which is over 100 more than we did last year. We could not do it without the generous people in our community.

We would like to thank the following people and organizations that helped us make this happen. Tib Ottley loans us his Uinta Realty \trailer every year, which allows us to get the cartons of shoe boxes over to Green River, where the shoe boxes are put on a truck and sent to Denver’s processing center, then on to children in third world countries.

J ody’s Diner, Calvary Chapel Evanston and Evanston Baptist Church donated funds for postage for the shoe boxes, and without those donations and the donations that people put in the shoe boxes they pack, Samaritan’s Purse would have to pay for the postage at $9 per box — so thank you.

Evanston Regional Hospital provided us with bags to put into the shoe boxes so the children would have something to carry their treasures around. Many children live on the streets or may need to leave the village they live in because they are being invaded. What a gift a bag is.

Thank you, Alliance Church, Aspen Church, Cross Roads and Lutheran Church for having packing parties or when we sent an email saying we need more soap, notebooks etc., you came through with what we needed.

A very special thank you to an anonymous giver who gave us money to start buying hygiene products, school products and other supplies for the shoe boxes and then drove up to the drop-off center and said, “I have enough supplies to make up 50 shoe boxes if you will unload my car and pack the shoe boxes.” Talk about a blessing.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the volunteers who came alongside and helped us pack shoe boxes or collected shoe boxes out in the community. This project could not be accomplished without volunteers.

As Tiny Tim from “The Christmas Carol” said, “God bless us, every one!”

Judy Jones

Evanston drop off center coordinator