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…
Construction Projects
Samaritan’s Purse Helps Homeowners Rebuild in Eastern Carolinas
As Hurricane Florence passed through New Bern, North Carolina, lightning struck a large pine tree in Kenyatta James’ front yard. The splintered tree fell diagonally across her house, which the family had evacuated in advance of the storm. The fallen timber left the James’ home severely damaged and allowed torrential rain inside as the storm…
Crisis & Disaster Response
From Ruin to Rejoicing
When Hurricane Helene swept through Swannanoa, North Carolina, it triggered a massive flood in Thomas Archer’s neighborhood. He watched as the raging water rose in his mobile home and his furniture sloshed from room to room, destroying it. After the water receded, mold quickly took its place, making the home uninhabitable. Thomas didn’t know what…
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…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Providing Aid to Typhoon Survivors in Vietnam
Samaritan’s Purse is on the ground in northwestern Vietnam after Typhoon Wipha struck the region in late July and continued to bring heavy rainfall into early August. We are also preparing to respond to Typhoon Kajiki as it recently made landfall in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital. This most recent storm claimed multiple lives and added to…
Crisis & Disaster Response
College Students Head South to Serve Over Spring Break
Instead of heading to the beach in shorts and flip-flops, University of Connecticut students spent their spring break in Waynesville, North Carolina, donning work clothes and orange U.S. Disaster Relief T-shirts. They were rebuilding a home damaged by Hurricane Helene. “I wanted to do something that was productive and that was contributing to the Kingdom…
Health & Medical Ministries
Meeting Needs in a Medical Desert
For about two years now, Debbie King, a great-grandmother, hasn’t been able to get the right glasses to correct her declining eyesight. The Marshall, North Carolina, resident has been using her uncle’s glasses, and her vision has only gotten worse. Last week, though, she was amazed by how well she could see with the right…
Media
Emergency Field Hospital Photos
Emergency Field Hospital These photographs are available for news media outlet use in coverage of Samaritan's Purse-related stories. If your news outlet uses a photograph, please credit: "Courtesy of Samaritan's Purse." These photographs are not for commercial use. Jamaica 2025 At maximum capacity, the Emergency Field Hospital staff can treat more than 200 patients and perform…
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…
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…
