More than 6,800 Christmas shoeboxes, packed with gifts and necessities, are leaving the Pembina Valley today (Tuesday).

Local Operation Christmas Child Coordinator Gerry Unger notes they've received over 200 more shoeboxes than last year, adding the collection has steadily grown since originally becoming involved 13 years ago.

Helping Unger with the gargantuan task, Krista Friesen has come on board as Church Relations Coordinator, as many shoebox drives come from local churches. Morden EMMC alone packed 1,036.

She says a mission trip to Africa sparked a love for the country and a desire to help out locally.

"A lot of our boxes go to Africa, so it just made me want to help out a local organization that can have an effect worldwide," she says.

Unger himself has seen the shoeboxes delivered first-hand, travelling to Uruguay in 2008.

"It was just a life-changing experience," he says, adding seeing a small boy with a homemade car made from discarded 2 litre plastic bottle especially broke his heart.

"Seeing the poverty... they do show some on TV but that's only a small piece of it."

At the actual delivery Unger says the excitement is deafening.

"The videos Samaritan's Purse puts online is just a fraction of what actually goes on. Turn your volume up all the way on your video player, that's what it's like," he says.

In 2017 Unger will travel to Senegal, West Africa on another shoebox distribution trip.

Many families make this an annual tradition, to fill shoeboxes with toys, tools, toiletries, and more for children in need around the world. Shoeboxes will be shipped to countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala among others.

Samaritan's Purse initiative continues to grow in the Pembina Valley