GRAYS Baptist Church is appealing to borough residents to support the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child appeal.

The charity asks people to fill a shoe box wrapped in Christmas paper with toys, educational supplies, hygiene items, and other items such as sweets, gloves, scarfs and sunglasses.

These boxes will then be distributed to needy children caught in the midst of wars, natural disasters and extreme poverty.

Last year Grays Baptist Church on Orsett Road collected 479 boxes, and altogether 1.4 million boxes were donated and sent around the world to countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

A sticker (available inside the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Child leaflets) needs to be placed on the box to indicate if it is for a girl or a boy, and what age group it is appropriate for, either two to four years, five to nine years, or 10-14 years.

You must then enclose £2.50 or more in the envelope attached to appeal leaflets, to cover the cost of transport, processing and distribution of your shoe box.

Alternatively you can pay online and place your online donation slip on top of the contents inside the box so it is clearly visible.

All you need to do then is drop off your box to your nearest drop off point.

Grays Baptist Church on Orsett Road are collecting Monday- Friday between 10am and 2pm up until Tuesday November 18.

If you cannot drop your box off between 10am and 2pm the church may be able to make other arrangements.

Contact the church on 01375 402291, or Jean Catton on 01375 374275.

You can also take your box to Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock.

Some items are not suitable for the Christmas boxes, these include food, medicine, war related items such as toy guns, soldiers or knives, fragile items, liquids, or dangerous items such as marbles or sharp objects.

For a full list of items which are not allowed, and for lots of gift ideas, go online to www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk.