WINTHROP — Churches in Winthrop and Brushton are among several North Country congregations that will host a guest speaker from the former Soviet Union on behalf of Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year. For years, North Country​​ families have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world.

One of these gifts reached Elena Nicholson at age 8, after she and her sister were moved from an abusive, poverty-stricken home into an orphanage in the former Soviet Union, said a press release from the organization. It was the first gift she had ever received.

Nicholson is now visiting northern New York​​​​​​ churches to share how the simple gift had a life-changing impact.

She wants to encourage residents as they kick off the upcoming collection season to fill more than 11,500 shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—contributing to the global goal of reaching 11 million children.

On Saturday, Sept. 10, Nicholson will be at Victory Baptist Church, Winthrop, at 10 a.m. and at First Christian Church in Brushton at 1 p.m.

During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 14 – 21, Potsdam​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ residents can bring gift-filled shoeboxes to multiple drop-off locations throughout the area to be announced in late October.

For more information, call 518-437-0690, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.

Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement. Boxes built online go to hard-to-reach countries.