Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. The mission is to provide local partners around the world with shoebox gifts filled with small toys, personal care items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. They ship these simple gifts outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, disease and disaster.

Operation Christmas Child was started in the United Kingdom in 1990 by Dave and Jill Cooke. Three years after this beginning, the Wales-based shoebox gift project merged in a partnership with Samaritan’s Purse, allowing us to share 20 years of expertise in relief and aid work with the project, and expand the reach of the shoebox gifts to more than 28,000 children that year. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to over 244 million children in more than 175 countries and territories.

In 2026, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect 11.5 million shoebox gifts in the United States, to be delivered to children in need around the world. The project hopes to collect some 12.8 million gift-filled shoeboxes worldwide.

Shoebox gifts are an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with children in need. In the hands of local churches, every gift-filled shoebox is a powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship—transforming the lives of children and their families around the world through the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Get a standard sized shoebox to pack for a boy or girl and decide the age (2-4, 5-9 or 10-14). Then, select a quality “wow” item such as a doll, soccer ball with pump, or stuffed animal. Fill with other fun toys, personal care items, and school supplies. Most importantly pray for the child who will receive your gift. Include a personal note and photo. Be sure to include a donation of $10 to cover shipping and other project costs. Give online through Follow Your Box and discover the destination of your shoebox. Finally, take your shoebox gift to a local drop-off location during National Collection Week.

Do pack in the box:

We want each shoebox gift to be fun, full and personalized—with no two exactly the same! Start with a “wow” item such as a doll, soccer ball with pump, or stuffed animal. Then fill with other fun toys, personal care items, and school supplies. You can find a list of suggestions on our website at samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Don’t pack in the box:

Do not include candy; toothpaste; soap; used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; seeds; chocolate or food; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items, such as snow globes or glass containers; or aerosol cans. A good guideline is to not include anything that would damage the box, hurt the child, or cause issues with customs. To see an up-to-date list of what can and cannot go in a shoebox gift, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.

National Collection Week is the third week of November every year. This year it begins, Monday,

November 16 and continues through the following Monday, November 23, when nearly 5,000 drop-off locations will be open.

A ZIP code locator is available at samaritanspurse.org/occ where you can find your nearest drop-off location. During National Collection Week, nearly 5,000 local drop-off sites will open, in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.