It's coming down to the nitty gritty to get your shoe boxes in for this year's "Operation Christmas Child."

Volunteers started to pack up the shoe boxes for shipment Thursday night at the Alliance Church in High River.

Area Coordinator, Jim Graham, says they've had a good response this year.

"I think we have around 500 sitting loose and another 250 already in cartons. We had out about eleven hundred boxes in town. So, we know there's a couple of groups left to come in. And we know there's always a few that come in when people come to church on Sunday."

Graham, says shoe boxes from the Foothills are going all over the world this year.

"Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Northern Venezuela. Then there is one special shipment that also goes to the Ukraine. This large Russian plane that comes, and they fly them to the area in Ukraine that's in conflict."

Graham says some of the shoe boxes will make it into the hands of children in time for Christmas, but others because of various shipping and customs issues will get into their hands later in the spring.

Sunday, November 20, is the final day to get your shoe boxes in.