Supporting the Church Worldwide

Caring for the Caribbean

When Hurricane Beryl roared across the Caribbean in 2024, it decimated outlying islands near Grenada, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It left entire communities without access to water, shelter, and medical care. Samaritan's Purse quickly utilized our Operation Christmas Child church partners throughout the region to help address the needs.

In Jamaica, these partners enabled us to quickly distribute critical supplies—solar lights, water filters, tarps, and more—to 217 churches, who, in turn, delivered the items to the hardest-hit areas of their community.

Bringing Help and Hope to Acapulco

After Hurricane Otis devastated Acapulco in late 2023, we brought in tons of relief materials to help thousands affected by the disaster with assistance from congregations throughout the region who have been partners with us through Operation Christmas Child for many years. They were essential in our initial response, helping our North American Ministries and Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) to connect with areas to assess and meet critical needs.

We also brought hope to struggling families by trucking in thousands of shoebox gifts in the days following the storm. Local leaders trained more than 300 churches in how to conduct outreach events and teach La Gran Aventura, the 12-lesson discipleship course designed for shoebox recipients.

A girl named Litsea, 11, attended one event and described details of the storm. “I hid under the bed with my mom, my dad, my brothers, and our dog,” she said. “We all hid there until the storm passed.” When they emerged, their house was in shambles. But hope arrived when she opened her shoebox and discovered a notebook, a toothbrush, a pink and blue penguin, and other gifts. Those simple items opened her heart to receive The Greatest Gift—the Lord Jesus Himself.

Delivering Good News and Great Joy in Ukraine

Thousands of Operation Christmas Child partners across Ukraine also aided Samaritan's Purse when conflict broke out, helping us deliver essential relief supplies—food, blankets, clothing—to displaced families fleeing the violence. And these churches have continued to be a vital link for us to continue bringing in aid as the war has escalated. They also handed out hundreds of thousands of shoeboxes, bringing the Good News of the Gospel and great joy to children who have suffered and lost so much.

Serving Our Neighbors in Western North Carolina

When remnants of Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina and caused widespread destruction, we responded on an unprecedented scale throughout the affected mountainous communities—some of which became completely isolated after roads and bridges were washed away. To reach them with critical supplies, we conducted over 350 helicopter flights, using Army National Guard Chinooks, three ex-Army Blackhawks, and several privately owned choppers. We also partnered with churches that support Operation Christmas Child to help us distribute tons of emergency relief items on the ground. This vital connection allowed us to also bring in an army of volunteers—30,000 in just the first month—to love on hurting homeowners and be the hands of feet of Jesus in a time of great need.