SPARKS — Christmas is arriving early all over Sparks as local churches prepare to serve as collection points for Operation Christmas Child. Soon, with the help of Sparks volunteers, the sites will be brimming with festively wrapped shoe boxes full of gifts.

Through Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, Sparks residents are packing shoe box gifts for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty. From Sparks, the shoe box gifts will be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary — sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camels, even dog sleds — to reach suffering children around the world.

Operation Christmas Child uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow your box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoe box gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.

Local collection sites include:

Sparks Christian Fellowship, 510 Greenbrae Drive, Sparks, 89431. Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Comstock Community Center, 465 S. C Street, Virginia City, 89440. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In 2008, the Sparks area contributed 7,934 boxes to the Operation Christmas Child effort. This year, organizers hope to collect 8,800 gift-filled shoeboxes.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (714) 432-7030 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week is Nov. 16-23.