Emergencies happen. When people are living paycheck to paycheck, it doesn’t take much to find oneself in a situation of choosing between food and medicine, paying the rent or paying the power bill, registering a child for school or making sure the water isn’t shut off because the bill hasn’t been paid.

Due to the generosity of Calvary members and friends, we have a Good Samaritan Fund to help with the occasion situations in which people find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place. We can’t take on large bills with this fund, but sometimes it’s that $100 payment that throws people’s budget into a tailspin. The pastors oversee this account and with the help of Amanda Nesby, our Director of Congregational Care, speak with those requesting assistance to determine how we might or might not be able to help.

With so many community agencies in our towns which help with different needs, Amanda is well versed in which agencies might be helpful to the person requesting help. When those resources have been exhausted, we determine if this is a situation in which our help might help someone get back on their feet. When appropriate and accepted, we offer financial counseling to help individuals and families come up with a long term plan for financial health.

In addition to the Good Samaritan Fund, we also provide emergency food. You may have noticed the big box just inside the front doors of the church. Your donations of nonperishable food and personal supplies help people every week who are unable to purchase all that they need to have. The box is available anytime the church is open and people can simply help themselves with no questions asked.

We don’t always know the person who calls or stops by, but we know that they are our neighbors and we want to partner with them whenever we can so that they might have what they need. Thank you for providing funding and food so that this ministry is an ongoing reality.

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About the Author

Debbie Reese is the Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC