Taking a look inside Countryside Alliance Church, you could be forgiven for mistaking it as Santa’s workshop.

The tables are covered in toys, games and stuffed animals. Workers pack boxes to the brim for children all around the world. The Christmas tree is fully decked out and lit up, and there is a festive cheer permeating the air.

Thanks to the efforts of countless volunteers from Countryside Alliance and other organizations throughout the Times News region, even the most impoverished children around the world will be able to enjoy a little bit of Christmas this year with Operation Christmas Child.

“What we do is we pack shoe boxes with school supplies, hygiene items and toys, and they’re sent around the world to areas where there have been natural disasters, war and poverty. It also provides an opportunity for the children to learn about Jesus at the same time,” Kyle Dempsey, drop-off team leader for Brodheadsville, said.

Operation Christmas Child is headed by Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian charity group that provides physical and spiritual support throughout the world.

Churches, community groups and independent benefactors select an age range — from 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14 — and a gender, and fill a shoe box with a sizable gift, along with smaller items fit for that criteria. Popular items include stuffed animals, markers or crayons, jump ropes and more. One volunteer from Countryside Alliance even makes clothing out of repurposed pillowcases, turning them into dresses or shirts for young children. Often, a sender will include a note or a prayer along with the gifts.

Contributions can also be made online, with a $9 donation that will provide enough supplies to pack a shoe box.

Many organizations, including Countryside Alliance, host “packing parties,” where volunteers put together hundreds of boxes.

“It’s a wonderful ministry, because it allows people to give, and also, if they can’t give the gifts, they can help with making items and collecting the items. It makes people feel good, whether it’s the ones who are giving or receiving,” Dempsey said.

Numerous countries contribute to the efforts of Operation Christmas Child, and boxes are distributed to over 150 countries and territories.

Dempsey said that while a few small items might not seem like a lot, for children in dire conditions, it can mean the world. Having traveled to Honduras, she was taken aback by the reactions kids had when they received things as simple as a small stuffed animal. Not only does it strike a chord with the children, but with the volunteers as well.

“It’s neat to hear the stories of how it affects the kids,” church member and volunteer Debbie Ash said. “Like when Kyle went to Honduras, her trip impacted her, but it impacted the kids as well.”

Operation Christmas Child also provides some perspective for the kids of Countryside Alliance, instilling a sense of compassion and caring for those who have so very little.

“It’s a neat thing for the kids in our church, because in this country they have so much, and for them to realize there’s kids in the world that don’t have anything,” church member and volunteer Becky Ash said. “They’re thrilled if they have lunch today. They don’t care if they have an Xbox or whatever the newest toy is. To get our kids involved, to get them helping out, it’s great,”

As of her last count, Dempsey said that she has packed about 235 boxes herself. The church volunteers have contributed a few hundred more, and Dempsey expects more drop-offs. With a worldwide goal of 12 million gifts, and Dempsey’s area-wide goal of 12,000, the hope is to reach as many children as possible, spreading holiday joy,

“When they open that box, they get a good feeling,” Dempsey’s husband and fellow volunteer Jim Coleman said, “‘Someone in the world really cares about us.’”