PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – You could call it a ministry of backpacks, but what’s inside is so much more than supplies.

This family of faith is living out their calling and teaching the next generation what compassion really looks like.

That’s what makes this story 850 Good News.

Inside these walls, generations have come together to pack up a ministry.

“That’s their home. That backpack is their home. It’s their everything,” said Handfuls of Purpose co-president Chrissy Maynard.

The ministry is called “Handfuls of Purpose.”

For this family, giving back to the homeless has become a way of life.

“We put a bible and some gospel literature in there as well because we feel that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world,” said Handfuls of Purpose co-president Buddy Maynard.

Buddy and Chrissy have spent a lifetime in ministry. It’s what their kids watched growing up.

“They would give everything away if they could do it– to their own detriment I feel like sometimes– but it’s just who they are,” said the Maynard’s son and nonprofit director, Russell Maynard.

Their most recent mission has become packing bags with essentials for the less fortunate.

“We put as much in there as we can get in there,” said Buddy.

The backpacks cost no more than seventy dollars each– filled with hygiene products, food, first aid, clothes, a tarp, and information on local resources.

And it all runs on donations.

“As soon as we get donations, we funnel that money right into the backpacks,” said Buddy.

Their granddaughter Charlotte is just twelve, but she’s already learning what it means to love others deeply.

“I realized that people don’t have homes and that they don’t have anywhere to live,” said Charlotte Maynard.

The same can be said for all the Maynard kids.

“My grandkids– it’s been life changing for them to pull and say, ‘why are we giving someone a roll of toilet paper?’ And to say, ‘everybody doesn’t have a home. Everybody doesn’t have something to eat. They realized people actually live out there without a family and no friends,” said Chrissy.

They’ve already given out more than 300 backpacks this year across bay county and beyond.

“The bag says, ‘we love you, and we want more for you,’” said Chrissy.

Because in this family, compassion isn’t just packed into a bag, it’s passed down from one generation to the next.

If you’d like to donate or learn more about their mission, you can visit handfulsofpurpose-hop.com.

All the family asks from those they help– when your life changes for the better, make sure you turn around and help those behind you.

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