MEMBER TESTIMONIAL:
navigating the effects and hardships of the pandemic
(written by samaritan member, phyllis)
Using health and safety precautions, Samaritan Community programming staff, including our Program Director, Sharon (pictured above smiling), have been working with all members, including those who have lost jobs/income due to the pandemic.
The COVID19 pandemic put us in a financial crisis. My husband and I lost our jobs and we had fallen so far behind in bills that we had to start selling off our belongings, barely keeping us afloat.
After reaching out to several public assistance resources, we started to lose hope. With no income, no furniture, and very little hope remaining, I sat in my kitchen and called the last number on the 211 list. It was to Samaritan Community. That same day, I got a call back from a Samaritan volunteer who delivered a week’s worth of food to us. They even included beautiful fresh fruit and veggies. After only two days, Ms. Sharon contacted us and immediately things started falling into place.
In all the time we have known her, not once has she judged or looked down on us. All the volunteers have been friendly. We expected Samaritan might help with one thing and then disappear, but Samaritan has been so much more. Ms. Sharon takes the time to help us budget, helps with employment, and just asks how we are.
“Watching our members persevere through this pandemic and so many other challenges has been a true joy,” Sharon Krieger, Program Director (pictured above)
In a short amount of time, the life we thought would surely ruin us has turned around. My husband is now working and I hope to be soon. If it weren’t for that one short 211 call, I don’t want to think about where we would be. After getting back to work and balancing our finances, we fully intend to pay it forward. When the COVID19 pandemic threw us into crisis, Samaritan stuck by us every step of the way toward a better life.