Every year, millions of children all over the world go without any gifts or presents during the holiday season. But one organization with a heavy presence in the North Country does its best to help change that for as many kids as it can. Our Brian Dwyer has more on Operation Christmas Child and how two local women are helping thousands of children have an unforgettable holiday.

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WATERTOWN, N.Y. -- Last year, five million kids got something they may not have without the help of an organization called Operation Christmas Child. A Christmas present.

"We put in, like school supplies," Operation Christmas Child volunteer Judy Webber said. "We put in health stuff like toothpaste and a toothbrush. We put in soap and we put in candy because a lot of them don't get candy and you always put in a little animal, a stuffed animal or toy."

Judy Webber volunteers for the program at the New Life Christian Church in Watertown with her friend Harriet Simpson. They've been packing the gifts and supplies that people or businesses have donated to a variety of collection spots in the area. The North Country will be delivering thousands of boxes to thousands of kids all over the world.

"That is what it's all about, yes," Simpson said. "It's getting the necessities mainly, plus maybe a toy or something to each child so that they know that they're loved by someone."

And for both women, hearing about the kids opening their boxes is the best part of it all.

"These are all kids that don't, a pencil to them is a precious thing. They use a pencil until it's down to where you can't use it anymore." Simpson said. "They'll pass chewing gum. They told us that a child will chew a chewing gum until they can chew it no more and they'll give it to somebody else to chew. They do not know."

The thousands of boxes here in Watertown and the millions of others around the country will be shipped to North Carolina this week for final inspection. From there, it's off to children all over the world.

Of the eight million boxes delivered to kids all over the world last year, five million came from the U.S. Of those, 10,000 came from the North Country.