Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 244 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 175 countries and territories.
In 2025, Samaritan’s Purse collected 12.2 million shoebox gifts globally
“Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:14, ESV
Panama
Panama is located in Central America on the Isthmus of Panama, the narrow piece of land that connects North and South America and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Panama Canal. The country contains hundreds of islands off its Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Samaritan’s Purse began distributing gift-filled shoeboxes there in 1997 and launched The Greatest Journey, our follow-up discipleship program, in this nation in 2010.
Peru is located on the western coast of South America. It contains a part of the Amazon rainforest as well as Andes mountains, where the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu is a popular tourist attraction. Samaritan’s Purse began distributing gift-filled shoeboxes there in 1997 and launched The Greatest Journey, our follow-up discipleship program, in this nation in 2010.
