Buffet Fundraiser @ Ellery Center Firehall

Gardens for the Poor

Silver Creek Food Pantry's Colleen McKenna has the vision for produce gardens for the families they serve!

Tending hands needed for pantry garden - ObserverToday.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Informati www.observertoday.com

Sinclairville’s Samaritan House Struggles To Keep Up With Area Need

October 24, 2011

By Sharon Turano (sturano@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal

SINCLAIRVILLE - With 17,000 families having incomes below the poverty level in Chautauqua County, volunteers at Sinclairville's Samaritan House have been kept busy.

"We've done nothing but grow in eight years," she said.

"People need more than we can give," said Maureen Schafer, director, adding she strives to help some make a choice to rise above the poverty level, as some coming have a "curse of living in generational poverty." She said they may have grown up living in poverty, meaning that is all they know and not having skills or knowledge to rise above their circumstances. She said that could lead to people becoming comfortable with living in poverty. With bills becoming higher due to the economy, she said, living that way has become more difficult for those on fixed incomes.

Ms. Schafer said others who have lost jobs or are single parents taking care of families have also been seen more.

"There's just not enough to make ends meet," she said.

The Samaritan House began eight years ago, taking whatever donations come in to offer to others. Although donations are suggested, the service provides whatever is needed to people.

"It's something I can't not do," she said, adding that opening the centers were "a call from the Lord."

"There have been more and more families that have needed our help," she said. Ms. Schafer said there are agencies in the northern portion and southern portions of the county that serve people, leaving a void in the center, with those residents unable to get to other places as they may not have vehicles.

Located in the center of the county, she said the agency serves families from both Dunkirk and Jamestown.

Samaritan House provides clothing and household goods at low-cost through donations and volunteers from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays in Sinclairville and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday in Dunkirk, where it also offers English and reading music classes.

Seeking its nonprofit status, it opened in 2004 in Sinclairville, with staff wanting to "be a helping hand" to those in need of household goods, furniture, appliances and clothing, reports the agency's website. On an average day, it reports that more than 300 clothing articles leave the building. Requests for appliances and furniture are "never-ending," the website states.

The agency accepts bagged clothing donations anytime in its parking-lot shed and takes household goods when it is open or by appointment.

Spring News 2011

As we move into the newness of spring, and put behind us the long winter months, we are Thankful! God is Faithful! What He has begun He will provide for and see it through to fruition.

Things have not slowed down here at Samaritan House. We continue to receive donations beyond our understanding and serve families in greater numbers than we could have ever expected.

We are partnering with Dove International Ministries to help the people of Haiti. Dove has 4 churches in Haiti where we can send goods the people need there. We have sent a truckload of shoes already, and look forward to sending more out of the abundance of donations we receive here.

Our Board of Directors is working on our transition into our own non-profit status. Many hours of paperwork ahead of us! We look forward to the culmination of the vision of Samaritan House for the future ministry to come.

The Chili Cook-off at Gerry Free Church was a great success and great fun! There were 24 entries of Crockpots full of wonderful chili for taste testing. 2 First place winners from Gerry Free Church and 2 second place winners from Park Church took home some fun prizes and over $400 was donated to Samaritan House!
Thanks to Pastor Jeff & Dana Bellinger and Gerry Free Church for hosting our 3rd Chili Cook-off! This is a great way to help out Samaritan House!
We welcome any new fund raising opportunities for Samaritan House. If you have an idea please let us know!

When you think about spring cleaning this year, think about donating your useable extra things to families who could use some extra help with household goods.
We have more requests for help than ever before, and thanks to your donations we are able to help many families!

VISION
"I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision." Acts 26:19
If we lose the vision, we alone are responsible, and the way we lose the vision is by spiritual leakage. If we do not run our belief about God into practical issues, it is all up with the vision God has given. The only way to be obedient to the heavenly vision is to give our utmost for God's highest, and this can only be done by continually and resolutely recalling the vision. The test is the sixty seconds of every minute, and the sixty minutes of every hour, not our times of prayer and devotional meetings.
"Though it tarry, wait for it." We cannot attain to a vision, we must live in the inspiration of it until it accomplishes itself. We get so practical that we forget the vision. At the beginning we saw it but did not wait for it; we rushed off into practical work, and when the vision was fulfilled, we did not see it. Waiting for the vision that tarries is the test of our loyalty to God. It is at the peril of our soul's welfare that we get caught up in practical work and miss the fulfillment of the vision.
Watch God's cyclones. The only way God sows His saints is by His whirlwind. Are you going to prove an empty pod? It will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of what you have seen. Let God fling you out, and do not go until He does. If you select your own spot, you will prove an empty pod. If God sows you, you will bring forth fruit.
It is essential to practice the walk of the feet in the light of the vision. ~Oswald Chambers March 11~
This devotion really fits our Vision for Samaritan House. We hope it blesses you in yours as well!
Blessings from the Samaritan House Team!

Samaritan House News
Winter 2010-11

Our 7th year of operation and coming into our 8th year at Samaritan House has shown us just how important it is that we are here and blessed to be in this mission the Lord has called us to!
Helping families get through times of tough financial crisis is why we are here. There are so many right here in our county who need our help and your donations are what keeps this mission doing the work we are called to do!
People living under the Poverty Line in Chautauqua County is at 17.7% This means that 23,630 people in our County are below the Poverty Line!
Think about that! 23,630 People!! It is a great possibility that some of these folks are your neighbors!

We have had a great time with work teams coming to help out! November brought us a team from Mission Meadows comprised of kids from all over the country. What an amazing group of workers!!

We will be going out to Churches and Organizations to promote our mission of helping families at Samaritan House.
If your organization or church would like to host our presentation please contact our office at 716-962-2246, or email us at info@samaritanhouse.us or through our website www.samaritanhouse.us

We would like to THANK all our partners for their financial support commitments!
THANKS to:
Gerry Free Methodist, Kiantone Congregational, Kidder Memorial UMC, Park UMC, South Stockton Wayside Chapel, South Ripley UMC, The Beacon Church, and many individuals who partner with us also.
Without your help, financially, we would be hard pressed to keep the doors open to help all the families that need Samaritan House!

Samaritan House Needs:
FUNDS
VOLUNTEERS
MAINTENANCE

As we enter a new year, we look forward with hope and joy as the LORD supplies all our needs according to His riches in Glory!

Thanks for your continued prayer support!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Blessings for the New Year
from your Samaritan House Team!
Maureen, Della&Larry, Joyce,
Christine, Vanessa&Scott, Bronwyn,
Aimee, Polly, Brett, Brian.

Samaritan House
Summer 2010

Matthew 25:35-46 (Amplified Bible)
35For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, 36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me.
37Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink? 38And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You? 39And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You?
40And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.
Are we being doers of this Word?
Donations are pouring into our Shed and our Sorting Rooms! We are so grateful for all the opportunities to help the “least of these, His Brethren”, who are OUR Brethren, with clothing. We have a constant need for appliances, beds, and dressers. So many families are having a hard time finding these items, and our stockroom is empty right now. There is also great need for these same items at our North County Branch. PLEASE! If you have unused furniture or appliances, remember the needs of our neighbors!
Building Maintenance is an ongoing process! We are housed in this beautiful historic building that is in need of constant care. Preserving some of the historical value of the building and upgrading certain energy issues is quite challenging! The main challenge being, funds to purchase materials for upkeep. We have a new opportunity for labor-free workers coming to help out with some energy issues from Chautauqua Opportunities. Our cost will be for materials such as windows, paint, drywall, light fixtures, etc. As we receive estimates for materials we will send out updates for opportunities for you to be a part of helping this mission to have a safe and energy updated building.

Missions Teams from Florida came to western NY in June to bless us with their skills of hands on ministry! You may have seen the article in the Post Journal about them and what they did while they were here. Samaritan House wasn’t mentioned in the article, but we had teams here from the 14th -17th of June doing work in the basement and around the building. The teams finished our sewing area in the basement which entailed tearing out a platform and scrubbing and painting walls, installing work areas and a counter unit. Staining the stairway and railings at our backside exit was finished. Their handiwork was much appreciated!
Shoes & Clothing to Nashville was packed into the truck & off we went to deliver them to Hickman County families who were flooded out last month. So many places can use our help and we are so glad we have an abundance to share! David and I enjoyed our family reunion in Nashville and then visited friends in other areas of Tennessee. The load we took down was received with Great Thanks!!! The woman that was running the giveaway warehouse had been flooded out herself and she was so grateful to receive our donations! As we meandered our way back home we met with folks in Liberty Kentucky who were also flooded out during that tragic storm. People that we never hear about from our media are in need of help!
Remember Samaritan House as you are cleaning out your households and having yard sales or just need to find a place to give unwanted useable items around the house!
Volunteers: If you have a heart to help, please stop by or call. Many hands are needed to do what we do here at Samaritan House. We reach out much farther than Chautauqua County with our donations that are pouring in!
God Bless You as we Serve our Community!

Shoes for Haiti