A record 18,084 gift-filled Christmas shoeboxes were given by people in the Tri-Cities/ Eastern Oregon region for the 2015 Operation Christmas Child collection drive, which culminated Thanksgiving week.

The project is part of an international effort coordinated by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief agency.

The total is 1,270 more than a year ago, said Fay Smith, OCC media coordinator. Of the total shoebox gifts, 3,997 came from Pendleton, La Grande and Hermiston donors, which is 588 more than 2014. Relay centers reported 1,086 shoeboxes were gathered in Pendleton, 1,725 in Hermiston and 1,186 in La Grande.

The shoebox gifts were donated by local youth and adult service groups, businesses, schools, families and churches in the region and brought to Bethel Church in Richland, Washington. From there, they were trucked to the Los Angeles area processing center and readied for shipment to needy children in the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, Peru and some Native American tribes.

It’s all part of the massive worldwide effort of Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief agency founded by Franklin Graham, to reach out to children living in areas around the world devastated by famine, floods, war and poverty.

“The gifts are much more than shoeboxes filled with toys and school supplies and hygiene items,” said Tricia MacFarlan, area team coordinator. “For many, an Operation Christmas Child shoebox may be the first gift they’ve ever received and it shows them someone does care about them and it gives them hope. It’s a way for us to show them Jesus’ love,” she said.

The project began in the United States 22 years ago and now involves supporters in about 10 countries including Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Great Britain. They have collectively put shoebox gifts into the hands of more than 100 million children in about 100 countries.

For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.