More than 4,500 locations will open to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts for the Samaritan’s Purse project, including four locations close to Scottsdale.

Volunteers are preparing to collect shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 14 ­– 21, according to a press release.

Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts — filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys — to children worldwide since 1993.

Anyone can pack a shoebox, the release stated. In 2022, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach another 11 million children.

Individuals, families and groups still have time to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need.

Find a step-by-step guide on the "How to Pack a Shoebox" webpage.

“Now more than ever, children around the world need to know that God loves them and there is hope,” Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said in the release. “A simple shoebox gift opens the door to share about the true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”

Participants can find the nearest drop-off location and hours of operation as they make plans to drop off their shoebox gifts here.

The online lookup tool is searchable by city or ZIP code. Signs at each location will identify the drop-off.

Local drop-off locations include:

• Highlands Church - 9050 East Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
• Joy Christian Community Church - 13430 North Saguaro Blvd., Building 2, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
• Resurrection Lutheran Church - 4930 East Greenway Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85254
• Scottsdale Bible Church - 7601 East Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85260