Chris Pratt spreads festive cheer with New York charity visit

Actor Chris Pratt helped to spread a little holiday cheer on Monday (05Dec16) by paying a surprise visit to young patients at the Ronald McDonald House in New York.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star is known for his charitable endeavors, and he embraced the season of goodwill by stopping by the charity center, which provides temporary accommodation for the families of hospitalized children.

He took to Instagram to share a few photos from his visit, including one of the actor sitting on a couch, surrounded by sick kids and their relatives.

"THANK YOU TO THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE NEW YORK!!!" he captioned the image. "Though they struggle with health issues these awesome kids are all so full of life and love."

"The human spirit is so resilient," the father-of-one continued. "And to me that is never more apparent than in the presence of the kids I'm privileged to meet. It was my absolute pleasure to spend some time getting to know these wonderful children and their families. I'll have you all in my prayers. The staff at @rmhnewyork is so incredible. You're doing #godswork."

Pratt is also a regular visitor at the Seattle Children's Hospital in Washington, where his son Jack was born nine weeks premature in 2012. He has made a point to give back to staff and patients at the medical center since his boy's birth to thank medics for looking after his only child with wife Anna Faris.