CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Franklin Graham, son of aging evangelist Billy Graham, said his relief organization appears to be processing more Christmas donations than last year as volunteers worked Thursday to finish some 1 million gift boxes at a Charlotte warehouse.

Graham, head of Samaritan's Purse, said Americans struggling through a difficult economy still appear eager to help those overseas.

"I think sometimes when people are experiencing difficulty, we kind of re-evaluate what our priorities are," Graham said. "And maybe some people this Christmas have just felt it's more of a priority to help other people than worry about themselves -- I don't know."

The success of the program stands in contrast to community nonprofits that have struggled to keep shelves stocked in the midst of soaring demand for aid during layoffs and economic turmoil.

Samaritan's Purse is trying to distribute some 8 million boxes to children in 100 countries this year. Graham said the program will focus on those displaced by war in Georgia, a neighbor of Russia. Conflict last August in the region forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes.

He said the organization was also hoping the Chinese government would allow the group to distribute gifts in Sichuan province, where some 70,000 people died in a severe earthquake in May.

The Operation Christmas Child project has hand-delivered gifts to more than 61 million children worldwide since 1993.