Previous Story
Saipan kids get belated Christmas presents
Religious charity group gives away 4,000 gifts
|
Posted on Apr 02 2019
-
- Grace Christian Academy’s Elaine Kinsella handing out the gifts to the children during the Operation Christmas Child event of Christian group Samaritan’s Purse last Saturday evening at the Garapan Roundhouse. The distributions of gifts took place on March 29-31 for all children ages 2-14. (Erwin Encinares)
-
- ERWIN ENCINARES The children’s gift bags came with religious tracts and stories. (Erwin Encinares)
-
- The children were all excited and looked forward to their belated Christmas presents as organizers prepare the gifts for giveaways. (Erwin Encinares)
-
- A child celebrates as he opens his late Christmas gift. (Erwin Encinares)
-
- Children ages 14 and younger received gifts delivered by religious charity group Samaritan’s Purse over the weekend. (Erwin Encinares)
-
- Children ages 14 and younger received gifts delivered by religious charity group Samaritan’s Purse over the weekend. (Erwin Encinares)
-
- Children ages 14 and younger received gifts delivered by religious charity group Samaritan’s Purse over the weekend. (Erwin Encinares)
A religious charity group that visited the CNMI through its disaster recovery arm in November 2018 came back with an outreach program to give away thousands of belated Christmas gifts to children on Saipan.
Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that helped the CNMI in the immediate aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu, coordinated with several churches on Saipan to give away about 4,000 gifts to children on Saipan over the weekend in in event called Operation Christmas Child, which distributed donated gifts to children ages 14 and under.
The gifts contained anything between toys and art and office supplies to hygienic supplies.
“Most of [the gifts] are packed by individual families from all around the world,” Samaritan’s Purse pacific regional manager Tyler Mahaffey told Saipan Tribune in an interview over the weekend.
Mahaffey noted that Operation Christmas Child donates gifts to children in over 100 countries. He added that the idea of bringing the program to Saipan stemmed from their time during Super Typhoon Yutu’s disaster recovery November 2018.
“…Our disaster team was here and, as we were handing out disaster supplies, we thought we needed to bring Operation Christmas Child to Saipan, so our goal was to bring enough boxes so that children ages 2 to 14 would be able to get a box this year,” he said.
In the last weekend alone, over 4,000 children registered to avail of the gifts. Mahaffey said the organization had enough gifts to go around for all 4,000 registered.
From last Friday to Sunday, the organization handed out presents at the Garapan Central Park, the Korean Presbyterian Church, Tanapag basketball court, Kagman Youth Center, the airport field, and the Ada Gymnasium.
Samaritan’s Purse’s partner churches included Life in the Son, Upper Room, Palauan Evangelical, Filipino Christian Church, Korean Presbyterian Church, Saipan Bible Fellowship, Grace Christian Academy Navy Hill, GCA Kagman, Living Hope Church, and Living for Jesus Church.
