Chris was tired and worn as he walked through the doors of the Samaritan Center. His feet were cold and had been cold for a while. Though shoes protected his feet from the winter weather they did not provide much comfort or warmth. Chris came to the Samaritan Center for socks but he had little money to spend on them.
The Samaritan Centers’ thrift employees and volunteers encounter people similar to Chris daily. In 2019 our thrift store employees saw 156,719 total register transactions. People who come to the Samaritan Center vary from families that use the 75 cent clothing racks to buy clothes for their children. As well as men and women buying professional clothes they could not afford otherwise. Through discounted items and sales the Samaritan Centers thrift, clearance, and toy stores help people in the community stretch their budget.
Since November the thrift store has run 20 discount sales. All together this translates to four weeks of discount sales in our thrift store. These sales range from books for a penny to 50% off hats, gloves, and scarves. During a sale in January one woman excitedly told an employee “I was able to buy scarves and gloves for my whole family!” She was a welder who had been hurt and was unable to work. In this way, the thrift store can extend hope and help to the community by providing reasonably priced goods for families.
After Chris found and purchased his package of socks he talked to a volunteer greeter in the front lobby of the Samaritan Center. He told her he was unable to bend down to put on his socks and asked for assistance. The volunteer gently removed his shoes and helped him put on his new socks. While the Samaritan Center does work to provide low priced items to assist people in the community, our main purpose is to be available when someone needs assistance. Whether that looks like discount socks, a listening ear or a helping hand.
You can partner with the Samaritan Center to provide help and hope to the community by donating your gently used household items, furniture, clothing and more at our donation dock. Our donation dock is located at 6017 Ooltewah-Georgetown Road, Ooltewah, TN 37363. The Samaritan Center donation dock hours are Sunday • 12 -5pm Monday-Thursday • 8am -5pm Friday • 9am-3pm Saturday • closed Donations received outside of these hours are not eligible for a tax receipt.
Thank you for continuing to partner with the Samaritan Center through donations which help us provide help for today and hope for tomorrow.