DID YOU KNOW?


You can view Calendars of Events from the Press-Republican? The Friday Community Calendar and the Thursday Eight Days a Week calendar are also online.

Holiday shoebox project gears up
PLATTSBURGH — Operation Christmas Child invites children, families, churches, businesses, schools and community groups to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children overseas who are suffering from disease, famine, war, terrorism and natural disaster.

A project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan's Purse, the initiative has hand-delivered more than 69 million shoebox gifts to needy children in some 130 countries since 1993, a press release said.

National Collection Week is Nov. 16 through 23, but Operation Christmas Child is a year-round project.

To help, fill shoeboxes with toys, necessity items, school supplies, candy and a letter of encouragement.

Participants can track their boxes online to find out where in the world they end up.

For more information, call 357-2284 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.

Toy Drive begins
MORIAH — The Port Henry Fire Department Auxiliary has begun accepting applications and donations for the annual Town of Moriah Toy Drive for the coming Christmas season.

All donations are welcome, a press release said, whether monetary, new and unwrapped toys or gift certificates. There will be drop boxes and money collection jars at local businesses, with big red stars in the windows of those participating.

Donations may also be mailed to: PHFD Auxiliary, P.O. Box 146, Port Henry, NY 12974.

The deadline for the applications is Thursday, Dec. 10. To apply, contact Jeannie Ball at 546-8627, Gail Waldron at 546-3022, Laura Venne at 546-7704 or Brenda Baker at 546-7234.