Toy Drive held by Greater Vision Church

Paragould, Arkansas – A church in Paragould held a toy giveaway on Saturday morning to ensure that no child was left out of the holiday spirit, especially with Christmas quickly approaching.

At Greater Vision Church in Paragould, this was the third annual Greater Vision Christmas. Senior Pastor Justin Ethridge stated that his church wanted to ensure that many children in the community would not get to experience Christmas.

Even though many hands make the job complete, one individual at Greater Vision in particular goes above and above. He is known as “Greater Vision Santa Claus” by the congregation.

Every year, Earl Pannell and his spouse Nancy make more than 200 gifts by hand for donation. For ten years, they have been giving toys to children in the neighborhood.

Crafting all the toys for the occasion takes Pannell a whole year, from wooden busses to train sets and doll cradles.

“We want something that the kids can have for years to come,” Pannell said.

The Paragould PetSmart provided about 200 toys, along with balloons, pictures with Minnie and Mickie, and handcrafted toys, the Greater Vision Christmas is something the community is thankful for.

“It feels great, you know, letting everybody get toys and stuff like that, it’s a blessing,” parent Sammy Callaway said.

According to Ethridge, being able to give back every year is a delight.

“Taking their pictures with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, coming over to get the toys, you see the smile on their faces and that means the world to us,” Ethridge said.