Samaritan’s Purse will be hosting an event for its Christmas gift recipient program, Operation Christmas Child, and will take the opportunity to showcase the impact of their work with a speaker whose life was personally changed by the group.

The event will take place on Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Kidder Memorial Global Methodist Church and will contain a mix of volunteer work, which will consist of packing shoeboxes going to assist children across the global as part of the group’s wide scale impact, and speeches from Regional Manager Danny Legault as well as Justin Thomas, someone who was personally impacted by the work of the organization.

“Born in a highly sensitive country, Thomas grew up in a Christian family. His parents could barely afford to feed their family three times a day. Growing up with hand-me-down clothes and used items, Thomas used to write with a pencil so short that he held it using a pen cap. Thomas had never opened a gift until age 13 when he received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. Filled with brand-new items to call his own, this shoebox gift helped a child who had never received a gift grasp that Jesus is God’s Greatest Gift,” said Jasmine Henry, Samaritan’s Purse marketing and media director.

The organization was not only able to give Thomas a holiday that will stick with him for a lifetime, but is able to aid with the difficult burden of the holiday season for parents that are struggling.

Samaritan’s Purse serves 12.6 million children across the globe, with area groups contributing toward that total each year. For more information about the organization or event, or to make a contribution, contact 518-437-0690 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.