“Collection Week” for the local Operation Christmas Child drive is complete for 2017, but there is still time to pack a shoebox gift online or to send a gift card for a friend to do the same.

Operation Christmas Child is a program where residents pack shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items and toys and deliver them to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries around the world.

The Peninsulas Team of Operation Christmas Child (Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas) filled 10,074 shoebox gifts during our recent Collection Week; the Sequim area alone collected 1,250 shoeboxes, program organizers said.

To contribute, see the Samaritan’s Purse Website for details at www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/build-a-shoebox-online-gift-card/.

Filing a virtual shoebox allows participants to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender. Finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view gift suggestions, call 360-509-4338 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is “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,” according to organization officials.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 146 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.