Students of the leadership class at Mae Hensley Junior High School collected small toys and other items to assemble gift boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

The world's largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child uses gift-filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world. Since 1993, the Samaritan's Purse project Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 100 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 100 countries. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Operation Christmas Child expects to collect another 9.8 million shoebox gifts this year.

Individuals, families and groups filled empty shoeboxes with gifts of toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement. During National Collection Week, Nov. 18-25, Samaritan's Purse collected the gift-filled shoeboxes at more than 3,500 drop-off sites in all 50 states. After the boxes are prepared for overseas shipment at eight major processing centers across the United States-Atlanta; Boone, N.C.; Charlotte; Dallas; Denver; Honolulu; Minneapolis; and Orange County, Calif.-Samaritan's Purse and its partners will deliver the gifts to children in more than 100 countries on six continents.