Karina knows what it’s like to receive an unexpected gift from strangers. One year around Christmastime, a pre-teen Karina and her seven siblings were surprised to see stacks of colorful shoeboxes ready to be distributed to children at their church. Her large family was used to sharing what possessions they had and celebrating Christmas without…
Newsletter August 2025
Year-End Giving 2021
Shoebox Gifts Open Doors in Storm-Weary Acapulco
Children and many of their parents gathered together under the large cobertizo in La Barra de Coyuca. The young people of this small town just west of Acapulco recall, as if yesterday, the nightmare of Hurricane Otis. Even now, when it begins to rain or the winds pick up enough to shake their roofs, children…
Pack Animals Gifted to Carolina Organization Helping with Helene Relief
A February storm had softened the ground considerably and loosened the roots on an old poplar tree. Wind gusts finished it off. Mike and Michele Toberer were hours out of town when the timber fell and broke a large opening into a fence holding their mules. Three of them escaped into the highway. “That was…
New Home Blesses Couple Whose Lives Were Upended by Helene
Helene’s heavy rains poured on Mark and Mechelle Tipton’s Marshall, North Carolina, neighborhood, flooding their mobile home with up to 24 inches of water. They escaped through the back door and up the hill to safety. However, they lost many of their belongings—and their home—to last year’s historic storm. The nearby French Broad River flowed…
Operation Heal Our Patriots 2022 Special Report
Christian Charity Page Update
Five Retired Friends Serve Hurting Homeowners After Texas Tornado
After a devastating tornado ripped through Round Rock, Texas, on March 21 and damaged numerous homes, Gary Cluck, 81, knew he and his buddies had to help. “We just love to volunteer and help people, and be good witnesses for Jesus Christ,” Gary said. “Jesus said that the number one commandment was to love God…
Rebuilding in Tennessee
Samaritan’s Purse has started rebuilding homes that were lost to Hurricane Helene, including one for Kim Mitchum in Mountain City, Tennessee. The September 2024 storm flooded Mitchum’s home—damaging her belongings and leaving her with a black mold infestation that could not be stopped. When our U.S. Disaster Relief teams came to her aid with the…











