A True Catch of the Season: Home Runs for Project Cornerstone 2022 was a Hit! 

 

 

Over 120 people gathered at the Dash game on Friday evening, May 6, for Home Runs for Project Cornerstone, an event organized by the Young Samaritans. Despite the tornado warnings, lightening and heavy rains, we found moments of sunshine, blue skies and even a rainbow over Salem Parkway. View photo album.

The crowd included Young Samaritans and their children, volunteers and grandchildren, Samaritan staff, current Cornerstone guests and Cornerstone men from years past. Several huddled under an umbrella with Janice Doherty, the first Cornerstone counselor who helped start the program in 1995. For her, Cornerstone is not just about recovery but about life . . . how to get a job . . . how to live with others. . . how to manage money. An outing to a baseball game shows Cornerstone men a way to have a good time without drugs and alcohol.

William B. III, Project Cornerstone graduate had the opportunity to throw the first pitch of the game. “I enjoyed the night out with my grandchildren. This is the first time I’ve been to a baseball game since I was 15 years old. I was nervous because I haven’t held a ball in my hand in over 49 years but excited at the same time.”

Jan Kelly, executive director, said “This night was special because it brought all of us together. A new generation of donors met Cornerstone men and heard their stories. One former guest talked about his relapse during the pandemic. His first phone call was to a Cornerstone brother to ask for help. Cornerstone is a life-long commitment. We know that when those storms of life come, they’re easier to navigate with friends and family. Samaritan is that community for Project Cornerstone guests, giving them hope each day.”

We would like to extend a special thank you to the generous event sponsors for making Home Runs for Project Cornerstone possible. Additionally, thank you to the donors who are helping us grow the Sonjia Kurosky Project Cornerstone Endowment at The Winston-Salem Foundation.

Join us on April 24th for a Volunteer Appreciation T-Shirt Give-Away at Samaritan Ministries

We want to say THANK YOU to all our amazing volunteers for their love and dedication towards our mission. We are honored to have members of our community come together to help make a difference in the lives of our guests. As a token of our appreciation, please join us on April 24th at Samaritan between 2 pm – 4 pm to be part of our Volunteer Appreciation T-Shirt Give-Away!

Our fun new design will be revealed!

SAVE THE DATE! We will be looking forward to seeing you on the 24th.

Accepting Volunteer Nominations for The 2022 Myrtie Davis Lifetime Volunteer Servant Leadership

Leading with a passion and serving with a purpose—it’s time to submit your nominations for this year’s Myrtie Davis Lifetime Volunteer Servant Leadership Award.

The Myrtie Davis Lifetime Volunteer Servant Leadership Award was established in 2017 to honor a long-time volunteer for selfless commitment to Samaritan Ministries and our guests. The award is meant to be an encouragement to all of us to act on the words of Jesus in Matthew 25. The Award should inspire others to give of their time, talent, and resources to help the hungry and homeless of our community.

Myrtie Davis began volunteering at Samaritan Ministries in the Soup Kitchen in 1981 and served faithfully on the Monday team for over 20 years.   The inspiration for her service comes from Jesus.  She always puts Samaritan’s guests first, serving with humility and empathy.  She is known throughout the community as an intentional listener and prayer partner.  We are grateful for her love, support, and dedication towards Samaritan Ministries and our guests.

Click here to view our nomination forms. Submit  forms to Jan Kelly, executive director at jan.kelly@samaritanforsyth.org by March 31st.

Myrtie Davis

 

Shelter guest makes a difference in the lives of hungry and homeless neighbors in Winston-Salem

Throughout the years, many men have walked the halls of Samaritan in search for hope and new beginnings. Despite the different roads that led our neighbors to experience hunger and homelessness, we hope to provide a guiding path to transformational healing for those in need one meal or bed at a time. Giving back is a true testament of good faith and recognizing the many journeys ahead. A full circle moment came to a previous shelter guest, Mr. Orrice Douthit. Douthit’s  journey to Samaritan was through word of mouth within the homelessness community back in the late 90s. While experiencing homelessness, Douthit also struggled with drugs and alcohol addiction.

“First, I am thankful for God’s grace and mercy. Also, I thank God for Samaritan Ministries. Samaritan offered me food and shelter for I was homeless and hopeless. My insane thinking had led me to rock bottom. I was already a troubled individual; having lost my marriage, career job, home, and self-respect – All those issues were magnified by my drug usage. At Samaritan, I found warmth, a place to lay my head and regroup.”- Douthit

After several visits, Douthit began to seek help through our guest resources.  In honor of those who helped his recovery, Douthit recently made a special visit to Samaritan to give a monetary donation. Douthit expressed his deepest gratitude and appreciation for Samaritan staff and our resources that helped him recover from his substance addiction and led him to the path of self-sufficiency.

“The guidance I received at Samaritan was priceless. I was a slow learner and quick forgetter but Samaritan was always there. Samaritan is where I began to comprehend a need for change. The ministry was a flickering light at the end of a long tunnel which ignited hope within me. The kindness of staff and nonjudgmental assistant was of tremendous value to me.”- Douthit

After Samaritan, Douthit moved to his own place and began working in healthcare then later became an entrepreneur. Douthit hopes by sharing his story, it will inspire others and give hope to those who share similar experiences. To witness previous shelter guests thriving and living healthy lifestyles is a true blessing from our above.

“If my story can inspire someone, its worth sharing.”- Douthit

Community support continues to play a very integral role in helping to uplift and support those in need. We would like to thank our friends from Comerica Bank who made a generous donation of $2,000 to support Samaritan Ministries.

Charitable contributions will help us continue to provide food, shelter, and hope through Christian love to guests like Douthit.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Announcing Samaritan Ministries 2021 Honor Roll of Donors

It takes a community to make a difference. We are beyond grateful and excited to announce our 2021 Honor Roll of Donors. Your generous contributions continue to help us stay prepared through any crisis and remain committed to providing food, shelter, and hope through Christian love to those in need.  You helped provide over 100,000 meals to the hungry and  over 13,000 nights of shelter to 300 men in Winston Salem. Thank you for continuing to do God’s work in helping your local neighbors in need.

Now presenting the 2021 Honor Roll of Donors – view here.

Announcing the 2021 Good Samaritan Philanthropy Award Recipient

Congratulations to the 2021 Good Samaritan Philanthropy Award Recipient, Jerry Enos!

The Good Samaritan Philanthropy Award was established in 2011 to honor an individual or group who has made significant contributions to Samaritan Ministries. Our hope is that by recognizing this individual or group, Samaritan will be able to further raise awareness about our needs in the community. The Award should inspire others to give of their time, talents and resources to help the hungry and homeless of our community.

This organization has made such an impact on the growth of our Ministry since 1981. Watch our video and then join us in congratulating this year’s award recipient and thanking them for their continued support of our work!

Penny Campaign 2021 Happening Now!

It takes just 309 pennies to provide a warm meal for someone in need. It takes 5,655 pennies to provide a night of shelter to a homeless neighbor. Every donation – even pennies – makes a difference.

For over 25 years, the Penny Campaign has energized the greater Winston-Salem community to help feed the hungry during the Christmas season.  It is a powerful way to support those in need during the holidays.

Our traditional coin collection jars will be very limited this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, and our goal is to raise at least $70,000.

To help us reach that goal, we have several ways to support the Penny Campaign this year. Click here for more information!

Let Us Pray For You

Prayers at Samaritan

Samaritan Ministries believes in the power of prayer and wants to pray for whatever is on your heart. All requests will be shared anonymously with a team designated to praying over every single request each month. It is an honor and privilege to pray for you.

Ways to submit a prayer request:

Prayer Box – Location will be updated soon.

Mail requests to ATTN: Prayer Requests at 414 East Northwest Blvd. Winston-Salem, NC 27105

Email requests to prayers@samaritanforsyth.org

Submit a prayer request right here.

Miss SAM & Eggs?

In case you missed it, we’re proud to share our 2021 SAM & Eggs: A Virtual Story of Christian Love program with you.
We’re grateful to everyone for watching and learning more about the mission of Samaritan and our guests we serve.
Thank you for prayerfully considering making a donation. Please know every gift makes a difference in this community.
Our four amazing SAM & Eggs program speakers:

Dwight Lewis, board member
Lisa Parrish, board president
Jan Kelly, executive director
Obie Johnson, testimony speaker

Charles’ Story

Meet Charles. Charles is a current Samaritan shelter guest.

In October 2020, Charles came to Samaritan during the COVID-19 pandemic. His roommate, a breast cancer patient, was incredibly vulnerable to illness, so to protect her, he willingly left the apartment and decided to stay at Samaritan until he could find somewhere else to live.

During his time at Samaritan, Charles has worked with the shelter staff on a plan for his next steps in life. It started with help getting him much needed glasses. He then worked with Daymark to get back on medication for his depression, a mental illness he has struggled with for many years. He’s currently working with The Empowerment Project to secure housing and waiting on his application to be approved. He hopes in the next couple of months to be able to move into his own place.

Charles recently got a car after saving up his money from working as a cook at Papa Johns. He wakes up at 5:45 a.m., has breakfast at the Ministry, rests, heads to work and usually returns around 11 p.m. and does it all again the next day. On his days off, Charles is often helping other shelter guests. He buys bus tickets for other guests who have zero money. He gets snacks to share with his friends, several of whom he has grown very close with during his stay. He also is glad to help take guests to their job interviews if his schedule allows.

Charles has struggled with alcoholism on and off following the trauma he experienced years ago with the passing of his father and girlfriend within one week of each other. But since he came to Samaritan, Charles has not had one drink. While he didn’t join the Project Cornerstone recovery program, he said friendships with the men in the program and seeing their journeys has helped him stay sober.

When asked how Samaritan has played a role in his life, Charles credits the Ministry with being a place of hope. He says it’s hard to describe, but that Samaritan just has a positive energy. It’s God working in Charles’ life. He says he’s most grateful to the shelter staff for developing a plan for him and helping him follow through the plan by arming him with the resources, love and support he needs to succeed.

Charles is one of the many faces that make up our Samaritan family and we are so proud of his accomplishments and growth during his time here.