With Thanksgiving right around the corner, International Falls families, businesses, schools and churches are putting their gratitude in action and celebrating their blessings by giving back.

Through Operation Christmas Child, local folks are joining millions of people across the U.S. to fill empty shoe boxes with toys, school supplies and necessity items for impoverished children around the world.

 Next week, Nov. 12-19, packed gifts will be dropped off at the Psalm FM radio station collection site in International Falls. Once dropped off, the shoe boxes are processed, prepared and transported to suffering children in more than 100 countries using whatever means necessary — trains, airplanes, boats, elephants, bikes and even dog sleds — to get the shoe boxes into the hands of needy kids.

“We’re in such a difficult world right now, and this is a great opportunity to do something good,” said Kimberly Nyborg, the volunteer who has coordinated collection efforts in International Falls for the past 13 years.

In 2012, Operation Christmas Child expects to reach a milestone — collecting and delivering shoe boxes to more than 100 million children since the project began in 1993. Nyborg said she hopes local residents will contribute 500 shoe box gifts to this year’s global collection goal.

“Last year, we didn’t collect as many as I would have liked,” Nyborg told The Journal. “But, we are so grateful and appreciative for whatever we can get.”

 Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, is the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. For many of these children, the shoe box gift will be the first gift they’ve ever received.

“Something as simple as a toothbrush and toothpaste can mean so much to people who have nothing,” Nyborg noted. “This project can really be an eye-opener.”

Nyborg added that anyone can get involved with this project by enlisting families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take part in creating shoe box gifts for needy children worldwide. People are encouraged to fill shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, personal necessity items and a letter of encouragement. Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions on what is acceptable and unacceptable to include in the boxes are available at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Nyborg added that even in a struggling economy, she is overwhelmed by how generous people are with this project and hope that trend continues this year.

“I think (the project) is a tangible way to make a difference,” she concluded.

The Psalm FM radio station is located at 4090 Highway 11. Hours of collection for Nov. 12-19 will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday; and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.

By using special tracking technology, participants can follow their shoe box and discover the country in which their gift will be hand-delivered to a child in need. Register your box at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.