Ruthie Claybaugh's family is growing.

Five years ago, she wrapped 12 shoeboxes filled with Christmas presents for her "children." This year she is wrapping presents for 270 children.

"I put a short note in each box with my name and address and a picture of me," Claybaugh said. "It's real exciting when I get a letter from one of the kids."

Claybaugh's "children" are strangers to her. They live in faraway countries, speak foreign languages, and "live in profound poverty."

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She spends her own money and time buying presents, wrapping them in shoeboxes, and delivering the boxes to First Baptist Church in Prescott. Claybaugh is a driving force in "Operation Christmas Child," an outreach program of Samaritan's Purse founded in 1993 by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham.

"This teaches them the true meaning of Christmas," she said.

Ruthie and her husband, Joe, converted their Mountain Club home in Prescott into a quasi-annex of the elves' North Pole workshop. Their living room is filled floor to ceiling with colorfully wrapped shoeboxes, unwrapped presents fill a sunroom, and rolls of wrapping paper lean against a fireplace.

"I'm basically shopping all year long," Ruthie said.

"It gets to a point where I can't even see the television anymore," Joe adds with a grin. He is not complaining. He completely supports his wife.

Operation Christmas Child is a nationwide program. Each year, planes, trains and automobiles deliver Ruthie's and other big-hearted donors' presents to remote villages and towns in more than 100 impoverished countries around the world.

"I am passionate about this ministry because the gifts go to poor and hurting children, many of whom have never received a Christmas present," Ruthie said.

She fills her shoeboxes with school supplies, toothbrushes, sundresses, T-shirts, combs and brushes, stuffed animals for boys and dolls for girls. She packs the shoeboxes separately for boys and girls, and labels boxes according to their age group.

However, Operation Christmas Child does not accept certain presents.

"No chocolates, liquids or war toys like guns, knives, or army figures," she said. "You don't know where the presents are going."

Ruthie keeps a binder filled with thank you letters from some of her children.

"She was very glad and excited to open the gifts she had received; much more became very happy to see all the things inside the box," wrote a Filipino mother for her 4-year-old daughter. "Even in her bedtime, she always brought the gift in her bed."

Ruthie said that school supplies such as pencils and crayons are the most prized gifts for many of the children.

"They really appreciate school supplies because education is very valued to them," she said. "They see it as a way to escape poverty."

Buying presents for 270 children is expensive, but Ruthie and Joe do not keep track of the cost. She shops sales and buys school supplies during summer when stores reduce prices.

Ruthie delivered her presents to First Baptist Church on Oct. 25. From there, volunteers take the boxes to Las Fuentes Resort and Assisted Living until Nov. 23, when the boxes are delivered to Denver for distribution.

"I hope you like my picture. I'm cute," a Filipino boy wrote Ruthie in a note next to his kindergarten picture.

"I wish I could be there when they open their presents," Ruthie said with a twinkle in her eye.

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Information from: The Daily Courier, http://www.dcourier.com