Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse.
This Year
National Collection Week: November 16 through 23, 2026
Nearly 5,000 drop-off locations open across the U.S. Find one near you with the Drop-off Locations link below.
- Nov 16 to 23National Collection Week 2026
- $10Suggested donation per shoebox for collection, processing, and shipping
- 12.2MShoebox gifts collected globally in 2025
- ~12.8MChildren the 2026 goal aims to reach
Lifetime: Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Fact Sheet. Lifetime totals: more than 244 million shoebox gifts delivered in more than 175 countries and territories.
Operation Christmas Child
Gift-filled shoeboxes that share God’s love with children in need around the world, together with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Samaritan’s Purse is going around the world to share God’s love with children in need through Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.
We partner with local churches and volunteers in more than 170 countries and territories to proclaim the Good News using gift-filled shoeboxes. We train and equip these partners with Gospel materials that help them communicate the message of God’s love to boys and girls in a clear, consistent way. Using these colorful resources, churches evangelize their communities in ways that often would not have been possible without the accompanying shoebox gifts. Most shoebox recipients are also invited to participate in our follow-up discipleship program, The Greatest Journey, where they learn to follow the Lord and share Him with others.
Because every child needs Christ, Samaritan’s Purse sends Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to boys and girls living in major cities, dense jungles, arid deserts, war zones, on remote islands, and along lofty mountain ranges. We work closely with local teams to bring these special gifts to children in need, even to hard-to-reach areas where there are few believers or where many have long been hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pack a Shoebox
Find a box, choose a label, fill it with gifts, and pray for the child who will receive it.
Start packing
Build Online
Select gifts matched to a child’s age and gender, add a note and photo, and Samaritan’s Purse will pack and ship it for you.
Build a shoebox
Drop It Off
Nearly 5,000 drop-off locations open across the U.S. during National Collection Week.
Find a location
How to Pack a Shoebox
- Find a shoeboxUse an average-size cardboard or plastic shoebox. Wrap the box and lid separately if you wrap it.
- Get your labelMark boy or girl and age: 2 to 4, 5 to 9, or 10 to 14. Give the suggested $10 online to Follow Your Box.
- Fill with giftsStart with a medium to large “wow” item, then add toys, school supplies, and personal care items. Include a note and photo.
- PrayPray for the child, their family, the pastor who delivers the gift, and their community.
Important Links
Official resources from Samaritan’s Purse to help you pack and deliver your gift.
What Goes In (and What Does Not)
Great gifts to include
- A “wow” item such as a soccer ball with pump, doll, stuffed animal, or large toy
- School supplies: pencils, notebooks, crayons, markers, scissors
- Personal care items: toothbrush, washcloth, comb or brush, adhesive bandages
- Clothing accessories, crafts, and small toys
- A personal note and photo
Please do not include
- Soap, toothpaste, candy, gum, chocolate, or other food
- Liquids, lotions, medications, vitamins, or aerosols
- Used or damaged items
- Scary or war-related items such as toy guns, knives, or military figures
- Breakable items such as snow globes or glass
Full gift lists and a Gift Look-up Tool are on the What to Pack page.
Would you like to support this outreach through Greg Lancaster Ministries?
More Helpful Resources
- Where to Start: Operation Christmas Child
- Operation Christmas Child Overview
- Why $10?
- The Amazing Journey of a Simple Shoebox Gift
- The Latest Stories
- Reaching the Himba through Shoeboxes
- Bryce’s Story: Shoebox Starts Transformation
- Today Is Our Graduation Day!
- His Presence Lights Our Path on the Greatest Journey
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)