BREMERTON — Manette Community Church is hosting an event to pack at least 1,000 shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child on Nov. 6.

Children, families and individuals in our community will fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball. Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, will send the gift-filled shoeboxes to children overseas who are suffering from poverty, natural disaster, war, terror, disease and famine.

The shoeboxes generated by this event will contribute to the anticipated 12,500 shoebox gifts to be collected this year throughout the Kitsap and the Olympic Peninsulas, enough to fill a 53-foot truck. The gift-filled shoeboxes join with others to reach an expected 12 million children in 130 countries in 2016.

The event is from 12:15-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at Bremerton Community Church, 1137 Hayward Ave., Bremerton. It is open to the public; all are welcome to experience the joy of generosity. For information call 360-373-2103 or email www.manettecommunitychurch.com.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 360-509-4338 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. By going online to give the suggested donation of $7 per shoebox gift, participants can follow their box to discover where in the world it will be delivered.

— Edited by Michelle Beahm