MARLOW —
The Marlow Samaritans have been struggling to recruit new volunteers to help them with operating the clothing store and assisting in providing emergency services, which have caused positive and negative changes.
As a United Way of Stephens County agency, one-third of the Samaritans budget comes from funds received from the United Way and helps them provide aid to as many people and families as they can.
These funds are directed toward providing emergency services for those who might not be able to afford gas to drive to a job interview to making sure there is food on the table when it’s dinner time.
“We have a lot of families that come through here that need food and that’s an emergency need and we do take care of them,” Board Member Brenda Ross said. “That’s when people find themselves in a situation where they can’t afford to buy groceries and they need help.”
The Samaritans provided emergency food to 141 people last year and 224 families were provided funds to help pay their utility bills.
Secretary Sandy Chatfield said the Samaritans also provide assistance with utility payments, emergency housing and emergency medications but with a dearth of volunteers, evaluating the cases are proving difficult.
“We don’t have enough volunteers to do that, we need volunteers, “ Chatfield said. “To answer the phone and case workers to go out and visit the potential clients, to find out what their need.”
The clothing store has changed it’s hours, but the volunteers found they were able to sort and handle the flow of donated clothing coming into the nonprofit.
Chatfield said the clothing store hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays and the first Saturday of the month, a change from operating three days a week previously.
Approximately 250 families visit the clothing store in a month with approximately 886 people frequenting the store last year with nearly 1,000 pieces of clothing distributed every Friday
“The reason for it was the number of volunteers, we simply don’t have enough volunteers for all of the sorting and stocking done at the same time we have clients shopping,” Chatfield said.
Chatfield and Ross agree with the changes made as they feel volunteers have more time to sort out the clothing dropped into the drop box and properly sort and organize the clothes for the customers to come and take what they need, free of charge.
“With the number of volunteers we have, this is what works the best for us,” Ross said.
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Volunteer Evelene Elliott with The Marlow Samaritans reviews clothing on a rack that is provided to people in need. joshua kellogg/the duncan banner
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