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KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI -- It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but many of you have already begun holiday shopping.

But, while your children may have a nice stack of presents under the tree, many may not even receive one.

But, Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest Christmas project, has set up camp at Kirksville's Rehoboth Baptist Church, 100 Pfeiffer Avenue, and they're giving you a chance to help out. Everyone is urged to fill up a shoe box full of children's toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy, or even a letter of encouragement. The shoe boxes will be delivered to more than 8-million children in 100 countries suffering from natural disasters, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty.

The program is part of Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse.

"Before the boxes go out to the needy children in other countries, there's Christian literature put in the boxes so they will know about Christ... and I think that's why I do this," said Joann Louder, a six-year volunteer for Operation Christmas Child.

"We show videos on Sunday morning, a short clip of the children receiving the boxes, and you just can't imagine how happy they are when they open these boxes, because most of them get nothing year-round," she said.

Rehoboth Baptist Church will be open, starting at 8:30 a.m., November 15 - 22, for people to drop their gift-filled shoe boxes off. Tracking technology is even available so that donors can "follow their box" to the destination country, where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered more than 77-million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in 130 countries.

For more information on how to get involved, you can contact Joann Louder at 660-665-2261, or you can call 1-800-353-5949, or even visit www.samaritanspurse.org.