Nearly 2,000 shoeboxes were filled with toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement from Mid-Missourians to children in need around the world.
Among the donations to Operation Christmas Child were more than 800 boxes collected by First Baptist Church and United Church of Christ churches in California.
The Samaritan's Purse collection began in 1993. Since then, more than 100 million boys and girls in more than 130 countries have experienced God's love through the power of simple shoebox gifts, the website said.
To celebrate the project's 20th anniversary, organizers hope to collect 9.8 million boxes this year.
Donors may learn where their gift went at "Follow Your Box" on the website, www.samaritanspurse.org.
And, individuals may still get involved by building a box online.