Operation Christmas Child sends gifts and supplies to children all over the world.

Missisippi, one of the nation's least vaccinated states, has opened its second field hospital in days to treat a surge of coronavirus patients.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Samaritan’s Purse is asking shoppers to put their best foot forward this holiday season and fill a shoebox for a child in need. It’s part of their ‘Operation Christmas Child’ campaign. The idea is to fill a shoebox with items a child may enjoy. Because of the pandemic, Samaritan’s Purse also encourages shoppers to take advantage of their $25 virtual shoebox option. “Most of them will say they just felt so encouraged, so loved to know that somebody out there was thinking of them that they didn’t even know,” said Ruth Ann Vaughan, regional area coordinator for Samaritan’s Purse.

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, sits for a portrait at his group's field hospital in New York's Central Park. “But it would be too much of a controversy if they gave Samaritan’s Purse a penny. The prospect of Samaritan's Purse receiving funding redirected from the U.N. health agency prompted warnings from some Graham critics, including the secular group American Atheists. Samaritan’s Purse is no stranger to controversy during the pandemic. A spokesman for the charity said that the Central Park site had not accepted volunteers, relying solely on employees.