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The Good Samaritans Ministry helps families in crisis by stabilizing volatile situations to allow time for planning lasting solutions. By being accessible and focused on immediate needs, we give hope in crisis.The mission of Good Sams is to provide immediate financial assistance to those experiencing dire circumstances, while connecting them to agencies that can provide longer-term assistance. Our offices are open Monday through Friday and we are available to clients five days a week and provide a variety of services.Good Sams connects those in need with emergency and specialty services, including food, diapers and baby formula, h ousing, utilities, medical, dental, legal assistance, gasoline, home repair, counseling services and more. Each August, a school supplies program provides comprehensive supplies for needy children. In November, Thanksgiving food baskets are distributed with an emphasis on the elderly and those on a fixed income. The Ministry partners with St. Tammany Project Christmas to help provide a Merry Christmas to hundreds of children and elderly in East St. Tammany Parish.
The assistance we provide is focused on breaking the cycle of dependency by helping individuals to regain financial self-sufficiency. Those seeking appointments go through a formal screening process followed by an interview with a counselor who evaluates and verifies need, income, identity, and expenses before a decision is made to provide assistance.
Sometimes, a check is not the answer, and for such instances we turn to our network of professionals to donate their services including dental, legal, home repair, prescription consulting and mental health counseling. We are continuing to recruit and expand our volunteer professional services progra m, giving area professionals the opportunity to serve screened Good Sams clients with validated needs.
We have a strong network of case management charities to lean on as necessary, who provide services in debt counseling, shelters, procurement of government services, or legal issues. We collaborate with key charitable organizations including United Way, Catholic Charities, the Commission on Families, and the St. Tammany Coalition for the Homeless.
Hunger is always closer than you think, and the Good Samaritan Ministry hopes to take the extra holiday burden off of 300 qualified families this Thanksgiving by providing meal baskets.“Children and adults in our community struggle every day to find where their next meal will be coming from. This program makes a real difference in people’s lives, says Sue Rotolo, the Good Sams Program Director. “We live in an amazing community, filled with caring and generous citizens, and with their help we can ensure all our local families have an opportunity to celebrate, and be thankful, this Thanksgiving.”
Families with verified needs can register for food baskets in the ministry office every Monday through October 25. Applications are accepted from 9:00 a.m. until noon. A typical basket comprises a complete holiday meal including a turkey gift certificate, traditional side dishes and dessert. Proof of income and other paperwork verifying need will be required to apply, and applicants will not be allowed to accept assistance for a Thanksgiving basket from any other program. Baskets will be distributed on November 25, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
In addition to families in need, food baskets will be delivered to every household in the Country Gardens Estates senior living community.
Tassie Wahl, team leader for the Thanksgiving Basket project, credits the dedicated support of volunteers and donors for the program’s past success. “This is one of our largest and most charitable events each year, and it could not be possible without the help of our area students, organizations and individual donors,” she says. The ministry is largely supported by St. Luke the Evangelist and St. Margaret Mary Catholic Churches, Eastern St. Tammany Parish schools and groups including Northshore High, Little Oak Elementary, Cypress Cove Elementary, Honey Island Elementary, Pope John Paul, St. Margaret Mary, the St. Luke CCD and Youth programs, and the Abney Nutrition Council. They host annual food drives which account for the majority of the donated food items. Private donations are also accepted.
Individual donations of food, money and volunteer hours are also needed. Volunteers are needed to assist with collecting, sorting and filling baskets, and distribution. Businesses and organizations are also invited to sponsor supply drives to benefit the program.
Anyone interested in volunteering with this program should contact Volunteer Coordinator Margaret Diaz at the ministry office. For more information aboutregistration, eligibility, or to host a participating food drive, please contact Tassie Wahl at the Good Samaritan Ministry at 985-641-6421.