DALLAS — Susie Jennings will not be home for Christmas. Instead, she’ll be right where she’s been each of the past 20 years.
“With my homeless and impoverished friends in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” Jennings said. “The Bible said it’s better to give than to receive.”
Faith is what prompted Jennings to start Operation Care International 23 years ago, a non-profit catering year-round to Dallas’ poor and homeless.
It was quite a remarkable change for Jennings because for a long time, she was blind. Anytime she saw a homeless person, she’d look the other way and act like she didn’t see them.
But that was more than 20 years ago. Today, her eyes have been opened.
“I see them as family,” she said. “When I see them in the street, I give them hugs.”
She often celebrates them, too. Pretty much every Christmas for the past two decades, she’s held a party.
Called "Christmas Gift," Saturday, Dec. 16, will be the biggest party yet. Jennings expects to hand out countless toys, clothing, shoes and others supplies, providing a happy holiday for more than 10 thousand people.
Later in the evening, Operation Care is holding a second party, an Evangelistic Celebration, open to everyone who requests a free ticket. Nick Vujicic, a man born without arms and legs, will be the featured speaker, along with Dr. Tony Evans and others.
Right now, Operation Care has a warehouse filled with items to give away and yet, Jennings says some families may go home with nothing.
The non-profit still needs toys, clothing and volunteers to help with it all.
Jennings hopes others can lend a hand. She says it may often seem like the world is a bad place and if all that negativity makes is sickening, helping give to others might just be the cure.
“A doctor said, ‘A solution for the problems in this world is love,’” Jennings said. “And then the other guy said, ‘How about if it doesn’t work?’ And the doctor said, 'Increase the dose.'”
Suffering often disappears when it’s treated with compassion.