TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- Operation Christmas Child’s mission is simple, to deliver shoe box-filled gifts to children who would otherwise have nothing.

Judy McMillin, Tehachapi's collection center's co-coordinator, said, "Operation Christmas Child sends shoe boxes filled with gifts to children who find themselves in countries where there’s war, poverty, disease, natural disasters, children who normally wouldn’t be able to get Christmas gifts.”

Last year, Operation Christmas Child was able to give nearly 5 million children across the globe shoe box gifts put together by people from all over the United States.

The boxes are filled with all sorts of goodies like crayons, stuffed animals and hygiene products.

Lori Gohr, also a co-coordinator with Tehachapi's collection center, said, "The things we fill the boxes with seem so insignificant in our country, our world, our children’s world, and yet they mean so much to these kids that have nothing. Just a snuggly little toy means so much to them.”

The shoe boxes get to the children by any means necessary, including planes, horses, snowmobiles and boats.

And from adults to children everyone and anyone can fill a shoe box and make a difference.

Sarah McMillin, 15, said, "I know a lot of times, a lot of kids in churches think, ‘I’m too young, I can’t do anything to help benefit the world,’ but just packing a little shoe box, I think it’s pretty cool that they get to feel like they are actually doing something.”

People who fill boxes can purchase a tracking label to track where the gift-filled shoe box ends up this holiday season.

For more information about how you can help, visit www.SamaritansPurse.org.

Listed below are the four collection locations in Kern County:

Olive Drive Church 5500 Olive Drive Bakersfield, CA 93308

First Baptist Church 220 North Street Taft, CA 93268

Country Oaks Baptist Church 20915 Schout Road Tehachapi, CA 93561

Family Life Center 20 West Panorama Drive Wofford Heights, CA 93285