Salisbury-area residents packed more than 17,000 shoebox gifts last month for Operation Christmas Child, which sends the boxes to children worldwide struggling with war, disease, poverty and other difficult circumstances.

Although the collection sites are closed for 2014, Salisbury residents can still contribute to the local collection number by packing a shoebox gift online at samaritanspurse.org.

At samaritanspurse.org, visitors select a child’s age and gender, shop through an online selection of culturally relevant gifts, “build” their shoebox and finish it off by uploading a photo and writing a note of encouragement to the child who will receive it.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Through simple shoebox gifts and a message of hope through Jesus Christ, children learn they are loved and not forgotten.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 113 million children in more than 150 countries. In 2014, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 10 million children.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 1-800-353-5949 or visit samaritanspurse.org.