Update (Nov. 4, 2021): Since this article was originally published, Grace Baptist Church of Wild Peach, Texas, has continued to exceed its shoebox-packing goals. In 2020, despite the global outbreak of COVID-19, the church packed 12,617 shoeboxes—117 over their goal. They also saw God’s provision regarding their $9 donation per shoebox gift that year. “We…
U.S. Disaster Relief Responses: Contact Information for Homeowners
Samaritan’s Purse has bases in the southeast, midwest, and on the west coast where we are serving homeowners in need in the wake of recent storms and fires. Please contact us and our church partners at the numbers listed below if you’re in need. West Coast Fires Santa Cruz, California Felton Bible Church 5999 Graham…
50 Years of Ministry
Emergency Field Hospital Deploys for the First Time
Samaritan’s Purse first deployed its Emergency Field Hospital in April 2016 after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated Ecuador, killing more than 600 people and injuring more than 6,000 others. It was the deadliest earthquake to strike the nation since 1987. We airlifted the mobile hospital to Ecuador on the inaugural flight of our DC-8 cargo plane.…
Crisis & Disaster Response
What DART Means to Me
APPLY NOW FOR THE DISASTER ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM Four years ago, when Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean, my wife and I were living on the island of Antigua. It was at this time when I first learned about the Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). We were amazed at the talent, speed, and godliness…
Shoebox Recipient Gives the Gift of Service to Louisiana Homeowners
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…
Crisis & Disaster Response
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…
Operation Christmas Child
Celebrating 200 Million Blessings
Elizabeth Groff is on a special journey to help pack the 200 millionth Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift since the Samaritan’s Purse project began in 1993. Elizabeth, who received a shoebox gift years ago as a lonely child in an orphanage in Ukraine, is currently traveling to different U.S. drop-off locations and processing centers with…
Operation Christmas Child
God’s Perfect Timing in Honduras
Guanaja is one of Honduras’ three picturesque Bay Islands, located 44 miles off the north coast of the mainland in the Caribbean. One of its cays is home to the densely packed tiny town of El Cayo: population 5,300. It’s known as the Venice of Honduras because of a series of winding canals that run…
Operation Christmas Child
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…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Providing Water Systems for Mexico
Samaritan’s Purse donated four water filtration systems to Mexico’s military in a special ceremony in Santa Lucía on March 20. The devices were used during our response to Hurricane Otis that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in and around Acapulco and left families in the region without access to clean drinking water. It was…
