Christmas is fast approaching, and the Selma Baptist Association is doing its part to make sure less fortunate children aren’t left out.

The association is encouraging the community to prepare a shoebox full of gifts to be sent to children across the world as a part of Operation Christmas Child, an international effort ran by Samaritan’s Purse.

Selma Baptist Association will be accepting the boxes from the Dallas County area between Nov. 17 and 21.

“People really care and want to do something good, and this is just another great opportunity to give, especially to those that don’t have anything,” said Kitty Singley with Selma Baptist Association. “So many of these children have never received a gift in their life.”

Founded in 1970, Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that created Operation Christmas project to change children’s lives all over the world. Since 1993, more than 113 million shoebox gifts have been delivered to children in more than 150 countries.

Samaritan’s Purse hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 10 million children through Operation Christmas Child project in 2014, according to its website. The Selma Baptist Association has been contributing to the project for years by serving as Dallas County’s relay center.

The association, located at 2193 Broad St., is accepting donations during National Collection Week within its hours of operation.

This year, the shoeboxes will be delivered to hundreds of places in Hong Kong, Finland, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Steps to be included when preparing a shoebox consist of deciding whether the gift will be for a boy or a girl, determining the preferred age category, and using a boy/girl label that can be downloaded from the Samaritan’s Purse website and more.

Suggested gifts include school supplies, toys, non-liquid hygiene items, a personal note and accessories.

Among the items Samaritan’s Purse requested people not include are used or damaged items, war-related items, chocolate or food, out-of-date candy, liquids or lotions, medications, vitamins, breakable items and aerosol cans. For more details on the Operation Gift Box, visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/occ, or call the Selma Baptist Association at 872-1640.