Christmas for Haiti began in 2018 at our home church, Southpoint Community Church. Our pastor loves serving the poor and orphans. Team Haiti headed up this project through our church, we used the ideas of Samaritan's Purse Operation Chrismas Child and but used backpacks instead and was very specific for what goes in the bag. We had the opportunity to pick the locations that we would deliver the bags to in Haiti. We work with Mission of GGrace, Haiti Deaf Academy, and Foundation Guillaume to help select recipients and to help organize the delivery of the bags. One Sunday in November was selected to hand out the bags and lists to fill the bags and each bag had to be returned the following week filled and marked boy or girl. Each bag required a shipping fee to help with the costs of shipping and delivery in Haiti.
These bags were specifically filled to help a family, not just one child. The list asked for family size toiletries, and the toys would be for one child or enough in the bag to share with siblings if needed.
This project also includes a small team to go and help deliver the bags. Some of the places that we go to are Cite Soilie, Bois Nerf, and Fond Baptiste. Cite Soilie is one of the poorest parts of the world, Fond Baptiste is a 4-hour drive from our base in Carries, Boies Nerf is 5 hours away. Foundation Guillaume helps us to deliver to Boise Nerf wi=hich is to the south of Port au Prince. Each team member pays for his travel and stays to go and be a part of this project. We have tried to do these trips on Thanksgiving weekend and have not bee able to yet. the pas two trips, the trips were pushed out to December due to the unrest in Port au Prince.
When go to deliver the bags to large groups of kids, we usually feed the kids a good meal. We purchase the food in advance for the organization to arrange cooks, security to have it prepared when we get there. It really is a great project. the best part about it our church does it, they fill the bags and they actually get to see them being delivered by people in their church too. It is a blessing all around.
We would love to have you, partner, with us for this very special project. W have a packing list of what goes in the bag if you want to purchase all of the items and deliver the items to us or you can send the funds and we will do the shopping for you. We also have an Amazon and Walmart hopping list to have it delivered if you are from out of town. You can choose to fill an entire bag or just send a pack of toothpaste, believe me, nothing will go to waste and it will all get to Haiti. Also, like the above photo we provide food for families while we are distributing the bags. We spend about $25-$30 on food that could feed about 40 people. In Haiti, if your neighbor has food they share, so you never know just how many people you are feeding.
