CASSOPOLIS — A community church will be packing and crafting hundreds of shoeboxes to be donated to the needy this weekend.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, Penn Friends Community Church members and volunteers from the community will be packing and crating hundreds of shoeboxes to be given to needy children in 105 countries around the world. This will be volunteers’ sixth year in a row collecting shoeboxes.

The drop-off point at the Cassopolis Quaker church is center for a 25-mile radius, taking in shoeboxes from Cass County, including Cassopolis, Edwardsburg, Dowagiac, Decatur, and Marcellus.

“Six years ago, our first year, we had a goal of 200 boxes. We made that goal, which was fabulous,” said project leader Deb Wiggins. “Last year, we produced 400 boxes, and this year, we fully expect to turn out 450 boxes.”

Penn members pack their own individual shoeboxes and then Penn community members come Saturday to pack over 200 shoeboxes, using donated materials. Penn members often start to shop in July for inexpensive toys in bulk.

“G.W. Jones Bank in Cassopolis called me in October and asked me to give them a list of Wow! Gifts to purchase for the children,” Wiggins said.

“Out of the goodness of their hearts, the employees went out and shopped with their own money for the special gifts. Each box must have items such as soccer balls, blankets, combs, dresses, dolls and special toys.”

These toys add to the hygiene items also included, as well as school supplies and more practical items like soap and tooth brushes.

“Dr. Hayman, a local dentist gave us dozens of toothbrushes,” Wiggins said. “He has given us tooth paste in the past, but we were told to not send that, as people were eating it in desperation.”

Abby Jones, a member at Penn Church, along with her daughters, Neveah and Livia Jones, and her niece, Sophia Affriseo, designed colorful tops for the donated shoe boxes.

“T.J. Maxx saves us a lot of money by giving us empty ones, so we can make the boxes more presentable,” Jones said. “The children made the designs. We made copies on the church copier, and then they used water colors to make colorful box tops. Also, church people donated their used shoe boxes.”

A Dowagiac church usually contributes 200 to 300 boxes. Wiggins urges other churches and the public to bring in their boxes to the drop-off point.

Wiggins said one shoebox can go to Samaritan’s Purse and one can go to Operation Christmas Child.

“Punch in your zip code, and it will tell you what is your closest drop-off point,” Wiggins said. “It will explain you need to choose the age range and gender of the child you are buying for and what are good ideas for that age and gender. You fill out the cards indicating your choice. Each box is checked before shipping, but only to make sure there is nothing inappropriate in it such as liquids, hard candy, chocolate and things like knives or guns.

Penn Friends Community Church also includes a note to each child telling them we are thrilled to send you this box showing God’s goodness and love.”

A couple comes in beforehand and puts together corrugated boxes in a carton of 18 for shipping to the collection center in South Bend. From South Bend, the boxes are shipped to Minnesota, one of five distribution centers in the U.S.