POULSBO — Two semi-trucks left Poulsbo on Nov. 21, carrying nearly 12,000 gift-filled shoeboxes destined for children all over the world. There is still time to fill even more shoeboxes.

Those gifts from the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas join other shoebox gifts to reach 12 million children worldwide through the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child.

Shoebox gifts — filled with school supplies, toys, hygiene items and notes of encouragement — are delivered to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries around the world.

By going online, you can fill a box for a child who may have never received a gift before. Go to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ to pick gifts from a selection matched to a child’s specific age and gender.

You can also upload a photo of yourself and your family and write a note of encouragement. When the box is delivered, you will receive notice of the child’s country or territory.

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.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 135 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received. Call 360-509-4338 or go to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.