It wasn't the night before Christmas. No stockings were hung with care, and St. Nicholas wasn't exactly the person the underprivileged children of Peru were expecting.

It wasn't December, but Christmas had come - a bit late, sure, but still, it had come - to the gravel-and-dirt streets of their village.

Wanda Klietz was among the stand-in Santas in Peru that day. She'd worked harder than an elf stuffing boxes full of toys for all the good little girls and boys, then paid $2,000 to deliver those boxes.

And nothing could have made her happier.

Klietz is the area coordinator for central Wyoming for Operation Christmas Child, a Christian-based gift-giving program that benefits underprivileged children in 130 countries around the world. Volunteers fill millions of shoe boxes with toys, school supplies and basic-needs items like toothpaste, and the boxes are then delivered to children who otherwise may not have received Christmas gifts. The boxes are distributed, along with �The Greatest Gift of All,� an introductory book to Christian gospel.

Last year was Klietz's first in delivering the gifts, but she's not new to the program.

Klietz started participating in Operation Christmas Child when her children were in middle school. Looking for a way to teach the kids about giving instead of receiving around the holidays, she discovered the program and thought filling the boxes as a family would be the perfect opportunity.

�I wanted them to see that - wow! - somebody is excited about getting a toothbrush,� she said.

After her family moved to Wyoming, Klietz took over as area coordinator and became more deeply involved in the program.

Filling boxes has become a family tradition. Klietz's daughter and her children fill boxes, too.

One of the most interesting parts of the experience, Klietz said, is seeing what she calls �full-circle stories,� when a person who received a box as a child now fills boxes and participates in the donation side of the Christmas Child program.

Until last year, Klietz thought she knew how much the children appreciated their simple gifts. But actually seeing the kids dance and jump and sing with joy as they exclaimed over items like combs and deflated soccer balls was better than she'd imagined.

�It was amazing. I got to see the final step,� she said. �All these years I'd been filling boxes, and I finally got to see the kids. What a privilege.�

For some volunteers, like Casperite Gary Wren, the program is a great way to help people without traveling far from home.

"What's wonderful for me and my family is we can do it right here in Casper," Wren said. "There's not many ways to help, but this is one."

Wren said he appreciates the ease with which he can help someone in need through the program, and he's proud of people like Klietz, who give so much of themselves.

"We all work hard at getting the boxes, but distributing them is a whole other thing," Wren said. "It's just amazing how people are so thoughtful."

Klietz agrees, noting that �people in Wyoming have the biggest, most generous hearts, and this can change a child's life.�

She's happily surprised at the creativity volunteers use in making each box special.

And the box you pack is the one a child gets, Klietz emphasized. Unless there's something liquid (like bubbles) or melty (like chocolate), the child will open exactly the box packed by the person donating it.

�They're more personal that way,� Klietz said.

Although this year's collection period is over, Klietz has already begun collecting sale items for the 50 or so shoe boxes she'll pack next year. In all, the program has collected more than 61 million boxes since it began in 1993.� More than 5,900 boxes were collected in Wyoming this year alone.

�It's amazing that people are so willing to give,� she said, not realizing she was talking about herself as much as any of the other volunteers. �You're giving a great gift and opening up a door for the children. It's something so simple that God can use.�

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com

To volunteer:

Operation Christmas Child's central Wyoming effort needs help all year, Klietz said. To volunteer your time, to donate shoe boxes of gifts for boys and girls ages 2 -14, or to learn more about the Christmas Child program, contact Klietz at (307) 277-5467 or wandaklietz@msn.com.