Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gift appeal 2020 has officially launched

This year is no different.

Mrs Paice is encouraging residents to get behind the drive which will see children in third world countries such as Papua New Guinea, Cambodia and Vietnam receive their first ever gift this Christmas.

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"Last year, the Dubbo community alone, contributed gifts to more than 1800 children in the Philippines," Mrs Paice said.

"These gifts are nothing to us but mean the world to these children, and can change their worlds."

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Mrs Paice has participating in the initiative for more than 20 years, 13 of which she has been in Dubbo.

"I first learnt of the appeal through my daughter, she had wanted to do one when she was a kid, and it kind of just grew from there," she said.

A moment Mrs Paice said she will never forget is when she received a letter from a grandmother in the Philippines whose grandchild had received one of the boxes.

"She worked at the hospital and got someone else to right the letter for her, she kept saying how amazing it was," Mrs Paice said.

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Mrs Paice said children only ever receive one box in their lifetime as to ensure every child is able to get one.

"So, we only have one chance to do something impactful for each child," she said.

Those wanting to contribute can collect the boxes from Emmanuel Care and the Christian Book Shop in Dubbo, which also contains a pamphlet containing with the necessary instructions.

The boxes need to be filled before the end of October and then returned to the same pickup location they were collected from.

For more information visit operationchristmaschild.org.au.