DeMossnews.com photo Former Russian orphan and Operation Christmas Child shoebox recipient Tanya Poteet is pictured during a recent shoe box gift distribution in Quito, Ecuador.

While many Niles families are busy with holiday activities, a group of local volunteers is focused on filling empty shoeboxes with school supplies, toys, hygiene items and notes of encouragement for needy kids overseas.

Niles families are participating in the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind — Operation Christmas Child — an effort that has hand-delivered 86 million gifts to kids worldwide since 1993.

This year-round project of Samaritan’s Purse is coming to its peak, as local businesses, churches and schools prepare to collect gift-filled shoe boxes during National Collection Week, Nov. 14-21. Volunteers can drop off their shoebox gifts at one of 17 bustling locations in the area to help kids in 100 countries know they are loved and not forgotten.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, uses whatever means necessary to reach suffering children around the world with these gifts of hope, including sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camels and dog sleds.  Tracking technology also allows donors to “follow” their box to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need.

To register shoebox gifts and find out the destination country, use the “Follow Your Box” donation form at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

National Collection Week for gift-filled shoeboxes is Nov. 14-21; however, shoebox gifts are collected all year at the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.

Local collection sites

Niles Seventh-day Adventist School

110 N. Fairview Ave.

Niles

Operating hours:

Monday: 9 a.m. — 1 p.m.

Tuesday: 1 — 3 p.m.

Wednesday: 10 a.m. to noon

Thursday: 1 to 3 p.m.

Friday: 1 to 3 p.m.

Saturday: 5 to 7 p.m.

Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m.

Monday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Harris Prairie Church of Christ

14719 State Road 23

Granger

Operating hours:

Monday: 5 to 7 p.m.

Tuesday: 5 to 7 p.m.

Wednesday: 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursday: 5 to 7 p.m.

Friday: 5 to 7 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. to noon

Sunday: 1 to 3 p.m.

Monday: 9 to 10 a.m.

How to get involved:

•Prepare — Enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take part in creating shoe box gifts for needy children worldwide.

• Pack — Fill shoeboxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items and a letter of encouragement.  Step-by-step shoebox packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

• Volunteer — Sign up to join Operation Christmas Child volunteers in Niles as part of the effort to prepare millions of shoebox gifts for delivery to underprivileged kids on six continents.

Phone: (937) 374-0761

Website: www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.