Samaritan’s Purse donates gifts to children’s ward

Children at the paediatric ward of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital on Sunday, May 4, were the happy recipients of gift boxes from the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child, in association with the Angellicas Youth Ministries.{{more}}

At the brief handing over ceremony, Pastor Paul Duncan, logistics co-ordinator of Operation Christmas Child St Vincent and the Grenadines (OCCSVG), said his organization received a number of gift boxes to distribute to children across St Vincent and the Grenadines.

According to Duncan, the Samaritan’s Purse collected boxes of toys and other items from children in wealthy countries, with the idea of distributing 10 million boxes world-wide in 2014.

The Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child is an international Christian relief organisation.

“We have decided to reach out to the children here at the hospital as well. We are giving them one gift box and a Bible and a greatest gift booklet,” Duncan said.

The contents of the gift boxes vary by the age and gender of the child. For example, some of the items received by girls aged five to nine include colouring books, stickers, hair clips, Barbie dolls, colourful toothbrushes, socks, note pads, candy and ribbons.

Duncan added that the idea is to reach out to the children with the love of Christ and noted that the donations are being done in areas where there are needy children.

After making their rounds at the hospital’s paediatric ward, Duncan and his team visited nearby Rose Place to distribute more gift boxes to approximately 75 children.

So far, the group has distributed boxes to children in North Leeward and on the windward side of the island.

Some 5,000 boxes will be delivered in the first phase.

The initiative has been ongoing since February and the second phase of the distribution will conclude in October, during which some 7,000 boxes will be distributed in the Kingstown and the Grenadine islands.(KW)