A Virginia-based ministry plans to deliver nearly 75,000 “Hope Packs” containing devotionals, hygiene items and the Gospel message to incarcerated people, correctional staff and inmates’ families worldwide this year, expanding an effort to combat holiday isolation behind bars.

Good News Global, founded in 1961, announced the growth of its “Hope Pack & Presence” initiative, which launched in 2021 with 50,000 packs. The program aims to provide encouragement and share the love of Jesus during Christmas and year-round, reaching 170 correctional facilities in 20 U.S. states and 20 countries.

The initiative began when former inmate and chaplain Richard Van Arsdale contacted Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago about its Hope Pack program, leading to an ongoing collaboration supported by churches and donors.

Nearly 300 chaplains from the organization serve in facilities year-round, fostering relationships for spiritual growth and discipleship. Personal visits accompany the packs, which vary by region but typically include a Christmas bag, greeting card, 2026 calendar and a Gospel presentation.

“Hope Packs represents our greatest direct Gospel outreach to incarcerated people and those impacted by incarceration,” said Jon Evans, president of Good News Global. “We can put the Gospel message in the hands of receptive inmates this Christmas.”

In the U.S., most packs feature “Armor,” a 200-page book with devotionals, poems, artwork and activities for those behind bars. International versions may contain Bibles, tracts or devotionals. Practical items like cookies, chips, socks, toothbrushes and toothpaste in the U.S., or staples such as rice, flour or sugar abroad are also provided. 

“We’re not just handing out a bag,” Evans said. “We’re delivering hope.”

Inmates have praised the project’s impact. “The book has given me hope and peace to my heart,” wrote one inmate from Visalia, California, referencing the Armor resource. “I’ve learned from the activities and stories and feel the love of God from everyone that has helped with this book.”

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also commended the ministry, saying, “Good News has decided to shine a light on a very simple, yet profound truth that there is hope and there is value in every single person on this planet.”

The effort addresses the plight of a lonely Christmas for more than 11 million incarcerated individuals worldwide, who often face deepened loneliness amid limited family contact.

Good News Global ministers to more than 400,000 incarcerated men, women and youth daily in over 300 facilities across the U.S. and 23 countries, partnering with corrections officials on the belief in every person’s inherent worth.

SOUTH HILL, Va — A resident of a Southside Virginia nursing home is raising concerns over quality of care, staffing levels, and on-site leadership of the facility after it changed hands.

Ronalds Rawlings said each day at Twin Lakes Rehabilitation and Nursing brings an unexpected challenge. He describes his experience living at the South Hill long-term care facility as inconsistent, ever since new ownership took over.

“I wake up in the morning, like, what’s next?” he said. “At least at first, it was consistent at first, but now it’s like, I’m at the point where it’s time to go.”

VCU Health’s Community Memorial Hospital used to operate what was called The Hundley Center but sold the facility to the New Jersey-based Eastern Healthcare Group on April 1, according to VCU Health. With it, came the name change to Twin Lakes and a shift in ownership type from non-profit to for-profit.

Rawlings, who’s lived at the nursing home since 2023, said one of the biggest differences he’s observed over the past several months is a decrease in the number of employees, as he alleged in a complaint to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the state agency that oversees nursing homes.

“The nurses that are charged with my care are doing a very good job. Now, those nurses are working to the max. They are short-staffed,” Rawlings said.

He claimed in his complaint those issues have led to medications not arriving on time and showers not occurring as frequently.

When asked whether the facility was short-staffed when it was run by VCU Health, Rawlings answered, “No.”

Rawlings said he has not yet received VDH’s findings pertaining to his complaint, and Eastern has not returned CBS 6’s request for a response to his allegations.

Drop in reported staffing levels

However, data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which regulates nursing homes at the federal level, confirms a considerable drop in staffing levels following the acquisition.

It shows the facility went from a 5-out-of-5 star “well above average” staffing rating from January through March to a 2-star “below average” staffing rating from April through June. CMS determines those ratings in part based off quarterly staffing reports that providers are required to submit. Higher staffing levels “may mean higher quality of care for residents,” according to CMS.

During the same time period, CMS data shows that under VCU Health, there was nearly one whole extra hour of reported total nurse staffing hours per resident per day on average. The facility reported an average of 3.96 total nurse staffing hours per resident per day from January through March but reported 2.98 hours of the same from March through June.

According to the most recent data before the sale, CMS gave the Hundley Center a 5-out-of-5 star overall quality rating, which indicated it also performed well during health inspections.

VDH has not yet conducted a health inspection of Twin Lakes since the ownership change, but Eastern Healthcare Group as a chain has an overall quality rating from CMS of 1.4-out-of-5 stars, as of July 2025, which indicates the group’s 17 facilities have performed poorly on inspections and staffing measures.

Only 22 of the country’s 600+ nursing home chains had a lower overall quality rating, according to CMS data.

CBS 6 has asked Eastern for a response to the company’s ratings, and we have not yet heard back.

Disciplinary action against on-site leadership

Rawlings said he was also troubled by past findings against the leadership put in place at the facility after the ownership change, as both the administrator Shondel Samuels and director of nursing Latarsha Brown have been recently disciplined by the state.

“I think that probably sparked a concern for everybody’s safety,” Rawlings said.

According to licensing board reports, Samuels and Brown were formerly the administrator and director of nursing at Henrico Health and Rehabilitation Center at the time of a 2023 inspection that resulted in serious findings. Henrico was identified by CMS in January 2025 as Virginia’s poorest performing nursing home based off results of its last three years and cycles of inspections.

Citing the results of the 2023 inspection, the Board of Long-Term Care Administrators in July 2025 placed Samuels’ license on probation, in part because it found she failed to protect residents from multiple instances of abuse and retaliated against a resident who complained to an ombudsman by issuing them a discharge notice.

The board said Samuels “accepted little responsibility” in her role as administrator and instead claimed issues cited by the board were caused by factors outside of her control.

Then earlier this month, the Board of Nursing placed Brown’s license on probation, in part finding she engaged in abuse of residents and failed to properly address neglect at Henrico Health and Rehab. CBS 6 was there for a public hearing in November when an attorney for the state made that case to the board.

“She at the very least allowed negligence or abusive behavior to go on at this facility on her watch, potentially that she even participated in it,” Aaron Timberlake, an adjudication specialist for the Virginia Department of Health Professions, said during the hearing.

Brown denied wrongdoing and argued she was a new director of nursing at the time with limited knowledge. She told the board that she and Samuels were given direction by their previous leadership that she believes they would not have followed themselves.

“I have very much taken responsibility for the actions that I played. However, I do know that in certain situations from these allegations, I know I was named, but I did not take part in them,” Brown told the board.

The board did not find the testimony from Brown or Samuels, who testified as a witness in Brown’s case, credible, according to the case findings.

The probation mean that Samuels and Brown can continue practicing but will be subject to additional training, reporting requirements, and state monitoring for at least two years.

Board documents show both women were terminated from the Henrico facility after the 2023 inspection. Public records show the Commonwealth initiated licensing proceedings against them in 2024, and VDH licensing records show the pair was working at Twin Lakes as of September 2025.

CBS 6 asked Eastern if and when it was made aware of the licensing actions against Samuels and Brown and if both are still employed at Twin Lakes, and we have not heard back. CBS 6 also reached out to Samuels and Brown directly regarding their cases, and they have not provided comment.

“The state got to have more oversight,” Rawlings said about the facility. “They got to be held accountable. You got to hold them accountable.”

Rawlings said while there are some bright spots at Twin Lakes, such as the availability of activities and dedication of staff, he’s worried about where the facility is headed under new owners.

“Your way of business is failing,” he said. “The things that are going on at Twin Lakes, it just needs to get better.”

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