Samaritan's Purse Celebrates Over 10.5 Million Shoebox Gifts Collected for Children in Need

BOONE, N.C., Jan. 31, 2022—Despite a global pandemic, millions of shoebox packers shared the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season.

Nationwide generosity contributed to a successful shoebox gift collection season at drop-off locations for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child. Across the U.S., the project collected more than 9.1 million shoebox gifts in 2021. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2021, the ministry is now sending more than 10.5 million shoebox gifts to children worldwide.

"In a year filled with uncertainty, we praise God for the opportunity to continue reaching children around the world with gift-filled shoeboxes that bring so much joy," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. "These gifts provide a tangible expression of love and open doors for sharing the life-changing hope of Jesus Christ."

Each gift-filled shoebox—packed with fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items—is a tangible expression of God's love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received. Through the continued generosity of participants since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 198 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.

Many children who receive these shoebox gifts will also enroll in Operation Christmas Child’s 12 lesson discipleship program, The Greatest Journey. This program teaches children about God’s amazing love and guides them through what it means to faithfully follow Jesus Christ.

Although local drop off locations for gifts are closed until Nov. 14 – 21, 2022, anyone can still be a part of this life-changing project by conveniently packing a shoebox gift online in just a few simple clicks at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline.

More information about ways area participants can get involved year-round can also be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 198 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.