By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Operation Christmas Child is a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year.
For years, Geneseo families have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world. One of those gift boxes reached Dioany Yosuino in Venezuela when she was 11 years old.
That young girl, now 24 years old, will be visiting Geneseo residents and will share how the simple gift changed her life.
She will be telling her story to local groups and area churches, including at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, in The Victory Center (The VIC) at 218 South State St., Geneseo. The community is welcome.
DIOANY YUSUINO
INFORMATION RECEIVED:
Yosuino was born into an indigenous Christian household in the Venezuelan Amazon. Living under a crumbling economy, she and her family often found the shelves empty at the grocery store and couldn’t afford things like quality art supplies. Her parents encouraged her to pray and bring all her requests to God.
When Yosuino received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift, she felt seen by the God who delights in His children.
During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, Nov. 18-25, Geneseo residents can take gift-filled shoeboxes to numerous drop-off locations across the area to be announced in late October.
For more information, call 630-474-9478 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.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
According to David Jones, OCC area coordinator of the Greater Quad Cities Iowa Illinois team, there were 1,373 filled shoeboxes contributed from the Geneseo area in 2024.