(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who want to pack some holiday joy in a shoebox for kids around the world can drop them off this week at dozens of locations across the state. Denise Moore of Ankeny, the area coordinator of Operation Christmas Child in east-central Iowa, says this annual effort brings in many thousands of gift boxes from Iowans, and millions of boxes nationwide.

“It’s a project through Samaritan’s Purse and it collects shoeboxes that are filled with fun toys, school supplies and personal care items and delivered to children in need around the world,” Moore says, “and it’s a way to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way.” The shoebox gifts go to children in 170 nations in all parts of the globe, she says, including some of the hardest-to-reach places, from deep jungles to remote villages on mountainsides. During last year’s campaign, Moore was able to hand-deliver boxes to children in Romania.

Photo by Samaritan’s Purse

“The first stop that we made was with children that had never received a gift, probably in their life,” Moore says, “and to receive items like toothbrushes and hygiene items, along with fun items that we call ‘wow items,’ which might be a doll for a girl or a soccer ball for a boy, and the joy in that room was amazing and it was priceless.” The boxes are being collected this week as they have to go through a processing center before they’re carried by ship or plane to their final destinations. Moore has a tip for Iowans who’d like to create their own Operation Christmas Child box.

“There’s a lot of great information on the website that can be found at samaritanspurse.org/OCC that’ll give you a lot of suggestions of what to pack, add to the box,” Moore says, “and also give you the drop-off locations that you can get by just putting in your ZIP code and finding the local drop-off center near you.” There’s also an option to shop online at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline where you can select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

Now in its third decade, the operation hopes to collect shoeboxes throughout Iowa to help with the global goal to reach 12 million children.