Wednesday, September 4, 2002
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Wednesday, September 4, 2002 |
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Local charity could use a helping hand before it loses its home this month By CAROLYN CARY
The Fayette Samaritans need your help. The 11-year-old charitable organization is in desperate need of a home of its own. It's about to lose its current donated space. The Samaritans was formed in 1991 by several county churches to serve local citizens in need of food, clothes, or help with a utility bill. The churches discovered that some people were going from church to church in scam activities. Sending people to one site where they would be accurately screened would serve the needy and send the greedy on their way. The Samaritans have grown to the point of serving 68 families just in the past three weeks. With so many families losing jobs, this need will only grow. The first service site was in the back of Fayette DFACS, which needed to expand last year, and the current service site was a suite of offices in Fayetteville, loaned to them for a year. The year is now up. Here is the part where you can help. If each family in Fayette County would make a onetime donation of $10, the Samaritans' most immediate need would be met. They would be able to have a home of their own. Because all workers are volunteers, the operating expense is only 1 percent of its budget. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. "We simply need to own a site ourselves," said Charles Charping, director of projects. "If we could purchase a building or even a house that we could adapt to our needs, we could concentrate on just serving our clients. "I have carefully considered the square footage we need, and anything between 2,400 to 3,000 would serve our needs for some time to come," he said. Two offices requiring 100 square feet each for interviews would be included in this amount, 400 square feet would hold children's and adult clothing, 144 square feet would be a reception area, and the rest would be the food pantry and furniture storage. An opening to allow delivery trucks would be needed, and a door for pickup by clients needs to be separate from having to go through the reception area. Indeed, they also need more in staffing of the charity's food pantry and clothes closet. Because specific needs change month to month, a notice will appear the first week of each month in The Citizen letting everyone know the kinds of canned goods or clothing needed at that time. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to The Fayette Samaritans, P.O. Box 1071, Fayetteville, GA 30214. The phone number is 770-719-2707.
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