Our Impact
Requests Differ but the Need Is Always Real
The Samaritans have fulfilled thousands of requests since their founding in 1832. Assistance with rent, often to prevent eviction, is the most prevalent need today, and we routinely provide new refrigerators and mattresses for elderly residents moving into subsidized housing. Many of our requests, however, are one of a kind and highlight poverty’s far reaching impact.
Here are some of the ways in which we are helping Salem residents in crisis today.
- Provided a young man with family the bike he needed to get to his job
- Provided Salem Skipper vouchers enabling Salem Pantry clients without transportation to pick up and take home their food
- Paid overdue utility bills for families dealing with illness, job loss…or both
- Sponsored YMCA and Boys and Girls Club camperships to keep children safe while their parents are at work
- Provided babysitting that enabled a young woman to complete classes and graduate from high school
- Replaced the boiler for a gentleman on a disability pension
- Paid the tuition for a 12-week job training program
- Purchased beds for a family whose apartment was flooded when pipes broke in the apartment above them
- Provided laundromat vouchers allowing homeless mothers to send their kids to school in clean clothes