Mission
The mission of the Samaritans is to provide Conneaut Lake area residents with the basics of food, clothing and shelter.
Profile
History of the Samaritans of the Conneaut Lake Area, Inc.
Samaritans of Conneaut Lake was founded by a women’s bible study group that met at Our Lady Queen of Americas Catholic Church in the spring of 1982. It was a non-profit organization supported by the Ministerium of the Conneaut Lake area. Its mission was to see that all people in the Connneaut Lake area were provided with the basics of food, clothing and shelter.
That summer a child in the area had died of malnutrition and these women could not understand how this could happen in our own community. So this could never happen again they decided to start a food bank with donated food. Within a few months people from other churches in the area wanted to help and got their churches involved through the Ministerium. A bank account was opened using the Employer Identification Number of Our Lady Queen of the Americas, Catholic Church.
In November of 1982, the Samaritans joined the Erie County Food Bank, Second Harvest, where they could purchase food for ten cents a pound. In time, the group became a satellite of the State & Federal food program and received food from the Center for Family Services. With this program, persons who qualify may receive food on a monthly basis. Food was stored and distributed monthly to about 80 to 90 families from the kitchen of Our Lady Queen of the Americas Church.
In the early years, clothing exchanges were held seasonally at the Trinity Methodist Church. In 1986 the Samaritans opened the Clothing and Furniture Warehouse in the East Fallowfield Township Building. Proceeds from the sale of the used clothing, furniture, household items, toys, etc., were used to help people with their rent and utilities. The Samaritans were at that location for about 15 years until the building was condemned and they were forced to leave in 2001. In 2004 the Conneaut Area School District offered a portion of the vacated Greenwood Elementary School in Geneva, PA to the Samaritans for their thrift store. The store operated from the school location until June, 2008 when the school building was sold. While the Samaritans continued to look for a suitable location for the store, winter clothing give-a-ways were held annually at Our Lady Queen of Americas Church. Blankets and paper products were distributed through Trinity Methodist Church.
The program to assist area families with a financial emergency began in 1986 funded mostly by thrift shop revenue. The program grew over the years to include help with rent, utilities, car repairs, medical co-pays, etc. Each request was researched and reviewed. Payments were made directly to the utility company, landlord, or service provider. The Guidelines for the program limit the amount provided to each family per year and outline residency requirements. When the thrift store was closed the Samaritans continued to be funded by donations, from individuals, organizations, and churches.
The Gift for Kids program began about the same time, 1986 and served children 13 years and under in the Conneaut School District. Area churches, organizations and individuals help provide gifts of clothing, toys and books to ensure that children of families in need had a special Christmas. The number of children in the program has grown over the years.
Over the next year and a half, from June of 2008, the Samaritans continued to look for a new location for the thrift shop. Around the beginning of 2010 there was an idea to erect a building on the grounds of the Catholic Church. Fr. Steve Anderson was approached and the project moved ahead. A parishioner came forward and offered to fund the project. Plans were drawn up, permits were obtained, a contractor was hired, and the building was completed at the end of August 2010.
The food, mostly provided by the Center for Family Services, was moved to the new building and was distributed from there on September 2, 2010. During the next two weeks the racks from the old store were set up, donations of clothes and small household goods were dropped off and the store was set up. The newly named ‘Holy Ground Thrift Shop’ opened on September23, 2010. The Samaritans finally had a permanent home.
It was at this time that it became evident that the organization was too loosely structured to operate effectively. They needed to sign a lease for the building, have contractual agreements with utility companies, and consider tax implications. There was no change in the officers, but others were asked to serve on the Board of Directors. Care was given to be sure all four area churches were represented, and two directors were part of the founding group from 1982. Bylaws were drawn up and approved by the newly established board of directors on October 13, 2010. Samaritans of the Conneaut Lake Area became incorporated effective November 2, 2010. They received an Employer ID number from the Federal government on November 17, 2010. At this time the Corporation took over the assets of the predecessor organization.
On Feb 16, 2011 they submitted form 1023 to the Federal Government and on April 21, 2011 were granted 501 (c)(3) public charity status effective November 2, 2010. Next they applied for a sales tax exemption with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and it was granted August 2, 2011. The next legal issue to be addressed was the Real Estate tax assessment of about $2,000.00. On August 29, 2011 an application to appeal the taxes was submitted. One month later, September 29, 2011 the hearing was held and the exemption was granted. A license to collect sales tax was applied for and we filed our first quarterly state tax report on October 14, 2011. The final legal issue, registering the name ‘Holy Ground Thrift Shop’ with the commonwealth and publishing a public notice was completed on November 3, 2011. In a little over a year the organization was legally compliant with all governmental agencies.
The Samaritans of the Conneaut Lake Area, Inc. continue to serve the community through the efforts of faithful volunteers and they remain true to their mission “to provide Conneaut Lake area residents with the basics of food, clothing, and shelter.”
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Contact
181 South Ninth St.Conneaut Lake, PA 16316
Phone: (814) 795-6062
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