Fresh Paint in the Cafeteria

On Friday, October 3rd, we painted the cafeteria with the help of this group of volunteers from the Youth With A Mission base in Lakeside. The cafeteria is at the heart of what we do at Samaritan House. The cafeteria serves nearly 24,000 meals every year and is a constant flow of activity. Thanks to all who helped to keep it looking as nice as it does. Dinner is at 6pm, you should stop by.

A Samaritan's Prayer

(The following is an email I received from a gentleman I have deep respect for, a former Samaritan House Board member.)

Chris--I have slightly adapted this prayer someone sent to me. It reminds me of you and others who help the unfortunate every day.--Bill


A SAMARITAN'S PRAYER

My life shall touch a dozen lives
before this day is done.
Leave countless marks for good or
ill ere sets the evening sun.
This is the wish I always wish, the
prayer I always pray;
Lord, may my life help other lives
It touches by the way.

Warm Regards for your special mission.

Bill Hadly

How Did We Help?

At dinner last night I asked a few of the shelter residents, “What are your biggest needs and how has the Samaritan House been able to help?” This is how they answered:

“I need a job and a vehicle. Only this will take time and money. The fact that I have a place to stay and shower is very helpful. Everyone has been very kind and generous here and I am grateful.”
“I have been in need of work that I can do with my disability for several years. Since I have been at the Samaritan House my life has been better than it has been for a long time. There is still a few things I need to do. I hope and pray that my and other people in the Samaritan House lives change for the better.”
“Aside from the shelter from the elements, the room to grow stronger physically, better diet, to gain weight and to see to my medical issues ongoingly. After realizing my needs the staff helped me to accomplish them. My warmest thanks!”
“Housing, food, clothing, shower, laundry. It has been a good place for me because… my roommates are mellow guys and are easy to get along with. Now I need work so I can get the money to go home. It is better than most shelters, that’s for sure.”
“As usual. Work. The shower, to be able to do wash and laundry has really helped out. The food is good and I feel safe at night to be able to really sleep. If you’ve ever slept out, you’d know what I mean!”
“The place has been good to me, I came here to go to the Vet’s Clinic, they have given me a clean place to stay, nourishing meals, phones and mail service. On my trip here to get to the clinic I went through several other towns and shelters, this is the best one. In some of those shelters I had to sleep with my shoes on.”

“A place to call home.”

Meet Brandon

This is Brandon Lodien. He is a cook and housekeeper at the shelter. Random facts about Brandon are that he likes the Oregon Ducks, Strawberries and was run over by a motorboat this summer. (37 staples and 9 stitches.) Brandon says he enjoys the opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives at Samaritan House.

Garage Sale at the Armory

Yes, it's true. I realize that this notice may arrive a bit late for our subscribers, but I wanted to give you the heads up. When you get an old armory building you also get the old army leftover stuff. If you are looking for an old retro type army issue thing, well then his just may be the perfect garage sale for you.
When: Sept 20th from 7am on through until gone (likely 11am)
Where: 1110 2nd Street West, Kalispell (the old US Armory on Meridian Rd.)
Special bonus surprise for the first 10 people who say they heard about it on the blog.
See you there.

Meet Mark

This is Mark. Mark's story is a difficult one. He came to the Samaritan House for help. He suffers from Narcolepsy and Ceteplexy. (I hope I've spelled those correctly.) For Mark it has been difficult to work as most jobs are not flexible enough to allow someone to take intermittent rest times. His disorder led to his losing a job, his driver's license and ultimately homelessness.

Mark says that some of the things he needs are: Big & Tall size shirts and a coat (4X Tall), an affordable apartment and employment that will accomodate his need for rests.

Mark says, "Without the Samaritan House I don't know where I would be."

Today at the Shelter

Today the shelter is full, 20 single men, 8 single women and five families. These are people who are homeless because of domestic violence, mental illness, the high price of rentals in the area, gas prices and the economy.

The Transitional Housing is full, 14 single men and women. The reasons for homelessness listed for these people are mental illness, domestice violence, layed off from work, long hospital stay resulting in eviction and difficulty finding an affordable rental.

Lately, I have been busy writing a federal grant. One freezer broke down and I also turned on the heat boilers as nights are getting cooler.