Communities slammed by Hurricane Helene have come together to deliver some much-needed holiday cheer in the form of Operation Christmas Child, a church-run gift-giving campaign that has already packed thousands of boxes of essentials and toys.
Operation Christmas Child, a worldwide program part of the evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian aid organization, collects and ships out shoeboxes filled with personal care items, school supplies, and more to children — especially those in war or disaster zones.
This year, Samaritan’s Purse faced major hurricane-related issues as it is based in Boone, a town in western North Carolina that sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
That did not stop its volunteers from distributing “thousands of heaters, generators, blankets, and winter supplies” to victims of the terrifying storm, Fox News reported.
“This project started with just 11,000 shoeboxes in 1993, and this year we hope to reach 12 million children around the world with the hope of Jesus Christ,” Graham told the outlet. “This is only something God could do and we give Him the glory for each and every one of these Gospel opportunities.”
The reverend’s organization also reportedly pulled off “the largest civilian airlift operation in American history” for communities impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton, organizing thousands of volunteers and completing 358 missions so far.
Despite Hurricane Helene destroying thousands of shoeboxes that were already packed to go out for Operation Christmas Child, the volunteers are pushing on. Since its inception in 1993, the group has sent more than 220 million boxes across 170 countries and territories, Fox News reported.
Damascus, Virginia’s First Baptist Church was among the drop-off zones for the shoeboxes that the community had been collecting all year, but the intense flooding in the town washed them away.
“I didn’t get to the church until two days after the flood because we had roads washed out. A lot of people couldn’t get out of their houses,” said the church’s Operation Christmas Child leader, Angie Fritz. “Everything was surreal.”
“God made a way for us,” she added. “We’re excited to still get this opportunity to pack Gospel opportunities.”
A Texas couple, Cherry and Mark Brumbelow, traveled to volunteer in North Carolina and their small church of just 55 members packed 15,000 shoeboxes so far this year.
Over 1,400 of them have already been sent to the Helene-impacted communities in western North Carolina.
“When we saw what was happening here, our hearts were burdened. We prayed to the Lord and asked what we could do to help,” Cherry, who was impacted by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, said.
“I’m grateful to God for each and every person who has been a part of Operation Christmas Child,” said Graham. “One couple said they packed shoeboxes using a candle while their power was out in the storm, and when another woman’s home started to flood, the first thing she ran into her basement to save were her shoeboxes. There are so many stories here of people who love God, love their neighbors, and love children around the world.”
