Samaritan Inn Report - September 16, 2008

Posted by Marc A. Sparks in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Sep 17, 2008

Collin County's only homeless shelter

Director's Report

Week 38/2008

September 16, 2008

There are 114 residents, 33 are children.

Weekly Statistics:

Intakes: 9

Graduates: 2

Exits: 1

Program Notes

The residents had a great time last night watching the Cowboys play the Eagles- we had an indoor tailgating party, complete with nachos and hot wings.

Comerica Bank will donate $100.00 to The Samaritan Inn whenever someone opens a new account with them and designates The Samaritan Inn as their charity of choice. If you have an existing account at Comerica, they will donate $25.00. See your banker for more details.

Allegiance Title Co in McKinney has long been a friend of the Inn- every month or so they bring a game to our residents- kind of a 'guess the number of jelly beans in the jar' kind of thing. The jar is placed on our library table and the resident with the closest guess wins a gift certificate- thank you Allegiance, for creating a little fun in the shelter.

Wes Akin, our food services manager, says we have a real need in the kitchen for lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and anything else you might put in a salad. We have been blessed with an abundance of canned goods but fresh produce is always needed.

This years United Way campaign officially kicks off tomorrow, but we continue to get donations from last years campaign- specifically donations that have been designated to The Samaritan Inn, for the month of July this amount equaled just over $24,000.00!

$2,000.00 worth of Greater Goodies (our Samaritan Inn made truffles) was sold last month at three weddings.

This week at The Samaritan Inn: Men's Support Group, Drum Class for Children, Small Bytes Computer Class, AA Meeting, New Resident Orientation, Karaoke Night, The Alumni Association, Power of Positive Thinking, grief recovery, Life Skills and Bible Study.

Gala Update: We are now just a month away from our third annual Good Samaritan Gala and it promises to be the best one yet! Please make your reservation soon if you are planning to attend, as tables are quickly filling up and there is a good chance we may sell out. This year's silent auction will also be better than ever- we have already received contributions of original art, Escada handbags, decorative accessories for the home and beautiful jewelry. If you would like to donate an item, please call Janet at: 214-415-6487.

Story of the Week

Charlie is 19 years old. Last year he was a freshman at OSU. While he was at school his mother and teenage sister faced significant financial difficulties, lost their home and came to The Samaritan Inn. Charlie finished his freshman year and moved into The Samaritan Inn with them. His plan was to work all summer, help his mother and sister as much as possible and then return to OSU for his sophomore year. Unfortunately, Charlie quickly realized that would not be possible. He decided he would need a full time job and he would need to take some time off from school. Charlie got a job and has rented a small apartment in the area, which he hopes to move into next month. He continues to help his mother so that she too, can move out soon. Charlie insists, however, that someday he will return to college.