PEOPLE in Droitwich are being reminded that they have less than a month to put together their own Christmas shoeboxes to be sent off as part of Operation Christmas Child.

The boxes are being collected through the Droitwich branch of Specsavers, as part of the Samaritan’s Purse charity, which hands out more than 113 million boxes to children in more than 130 countries.

People are being asked to donate shoeboxes filled with items such as toys, school supplies, hygiene products and clothing. The boxes should be labelled as for a girl or a boy, and marked for the age they’re intended for (2-4 years old, 5-9 years old, or 10-14 years old).

Emma Singh, store director at Specsavers in Droitwich, says: “We’d urge customers to participate and help us support this great cause that helps children in developing countries. Samaritan’s Purse carries out fantastic work helping children, particularly at Christmas time when it can be extremely difficult for families.”

In order to be collected together and delivered in time for Christmas, boxes need to be delivered by Friday, November 15. They should be a medium size, and labels are available to print from the Samaritan’s Purse website. The charity also asks for a £3 donation per box to cover shipping costs.

For more information on the scheme or to drop off boxes, visit Specsavers in St Andrew’s Square. For more information on Samaritan’s Purse, visit samaritans-purse.org.uk/.