FREE COATS FOR CHILDREN
If your child is in need of a coat, come to GSM Store to get your child a new winter coat! Thank you to our generous sponsors – including the Lewis & Clark Library, for this warm gift!
Year: 2024
UNSHELTERED EXPERIENCE – FUNDraising, Awareness & Demonstration
QUESTION OF SURVIVAL: What’s it like for a female to live unsheltered in our town?
On November 2, some will find out, and through their education and experiences, we will raise more funds for Ruth’s Place – a women’s shelter and safe space in Helena slated to open early 2025.
Our store opens at 9am with 50% off all items! From 11:00 am-7:00 PM on Saturday, November 2 Good Samaritan Ministries will host a full schedule of daytime events onsite at our store location – 3067 Montana Avenue parking lot!
Food trucks, fashion show, children’s activity tent, in-store sales, amazing silent auction packages, Helena Library clothing drive and a stage with local speakers, Open Mic presentations, music and theatre will help us celebrate Good Samaritan Ministries accomplishments and ongoing programs while raising money and understanding of the ongoing challenges of the unsheltered in our community.
OUR CHALLENGE: From 7:00 PM until 7:00 AM November 3, twelve (12) women will remain on our property overnight to highlight the challenges of our female unsheltered neighbors. They pledge to stay twelve (12) hours, and each seeks ten (10) sponsors.
COMMUNITY OPEN INVITATION:
- Come join the activities during the day…
- We are seeking sponsors to help us achieve our goals for Ruth’s Place!
- Pledge a donation for the volunteers choosing to answer the question – What’s it like for a female to live unsheltered in our community?
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
COLLABORATIONS:
Good Samaritan Ministries is thankful for the collaboration with the Lewis & Clark Library for a winter clothing drive during their 2024 BIG READ event.
CLOTHING DRIVE: Gently used or new donations of warm clothing – socks, shirts, jackets, mittens, scarves, boots and underclothes for all ages to be dropped off at the library October 1 through the month. The final donation date is November 2 during the Good Samaritan Ministries FUNDraising event!
Seeking sponsors
We are seeking sponsors for this event. Won’t you help?
Sponsorship Levels / per hour
Shelter Friend: $100
Build a Wall: $50
Furnish a Home: $25
Home “Pin”$: $10
Sponsors receive advertising signage day of event, logo on website and all marketing/outreach materials; 501 c 3 donation receipt.
Thank You!
50/50 Raffle
COMMUNITY CHEST – SUPPORTING A CAMPAIGN
Buy a ticket or many and split 50/50 with Good Samaritan Ministries!
$5 – 1 ticket
$20 – 5 tickets
Receive HALF of the total of ALL ticket sales for this raffle at the November 2, 2024 Drawing!
Winner to be announced at 4pm day of drawing and MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN!
For event and sponsor information contact:
[email protected]
406 442-0780 ext. 111
FALL FUNdraising WAS A SUCCESS!! THANK YOU
FALL FUNdraising EVENT
Our November 2 event was a success! Thank you volunteers, donors, sponsors and our community for supporting the opening of Ruth’s Place – Emergency Crisis Shelter in 2025!!
If you’d like to support our ongoing efforts to secure operations funds for Ruth’s Place, please go to our “Ways to Give” link!
RSVP : [email protected]
406 442-0780 ext. 111
GSM NEEDS Match Grant Funds Needed
GSM NEEDS Match Grant Funds Needed
We received grant approval from Montana State Fund for specialized equipment designated for our organization to continue to offer a clean and safe environment for staff, patrons and the community
Q: What’s the need?
A: There is a 50% match requirement! We require an additional $3,000 to purchase this industrial equipment as a match to the grant.
Q: What do we need the funds for?
A: We need an industrial floor cleaning machine for use in our store, office and common areas
STORE UPDATES:
• Summer Hours July-Oct. 1 9:00 AM—7:00 PM
• Dock Hours Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
SCHOOL’S IN SESSION EVENT: Sat. September 14 11:00 -3:00
SALES: Children’s clothing, school supplies ,
ACTIVITIES/ONSITE PHOTOGRAPHER: Join the party in our store!
DONOR UPDATES
First Quarter Projections Looking Solid!
According to our donor database, our community has helped us raise over $4500 between July 1 and August 14!
If we continue at this pace, we have the potential to raise $30,000 or more in donations! That’s a base salary for an outreach worker, financial assistance to secure housing, food or supplies for needful clients!
The possibilities are incredible!
August 2024
In this issue:
FEATURE: Ruth’s Space
NEEDS: Match Grant $
DONOR UPDATES: 1st Quarter
OPERATIONS NEWS:
Dock Hours extended;
School party! 9/13/24
GSM SUPERSTARS:
Our ED—Theresa Ortega!-
Ruth’s Place Has a Space!
Good news! After a year long wait, we found a solution and created a collaborative effort between Good Samaritan Ministries (the catalyst behind the shelter) and Family Promise of Greater Helena (the resources to get it moving) . We plan to break ground next month on Ruth’s Place—a women’s shelter in Helena! That new planned location is Family Promise at 2814 Cook Street, just off N Montana Avenue. The two agencies will share the space.
GSM SUPERSTARS
Executive Director Theresa Ortega nominated for Lumen Cristi Award
Since its inception in 1978, the award—presented by Catholic Extension Society, has been given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve.
Our Executive Director was nominated for her leadership, and stewardship of funds and resources for the ongoing development of the social service programs funded through the successful GSM store operations!
TOGETHER THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS : The Unsheltered Experience was super successful.
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS, VOLUNTEERS AND SPONSORS
What’s it like for a female to live unsheltered in our town? You CAN STILL donate to our event and our efforts…
On November 2, 12 of us found out…and through our education and experiences, we raised more funds for Ruth’s Place – a woman’s shelter and space!
We seek sponsors for this event: Won’t you help?
Shelter Friend— $1000 Build a Wall: $500
Furnish a Home—$250 Home “Pin”$: $100
EVENT: FALL FUNdraiser – full day of events, sales, music, fashion show, children’s crafts—night demonstration—”encampment”
WHEN: November 2, 2024 9 am to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Good Samaritan Ministries Parking lot!
3067 N. Montana Avenue Helena, MT 59601
RSVP : [email protected] or go to our “Ways To Give” page
406 442-0780 ext. 111
OU
BACK IN SCHOOL EVENT SEEKING YOUR PARTICIPATION
Please join us in providing resources, information, swag and supplies to students and their families at our in-store sale, community fair and fun event.
We have tables. We just need you!!!
WHEN: September 14TH, 2024 11 to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Good Samaritan Store
3067 N. Montana Avenue Helena, MT 59601
RSVP : [email protected] BY 9/08
406 442-0780 ext. 111
Special thanks for our local Walmart for contributing healthful snacks for our grab-bags for participating children!
WE HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER JOINING US. OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOUR INFORMATION!
Our Place Peers Collaborate for a Downtown Cleanup
Late morning marked the beginning of our community cleanups, and despite the heat, the atmosphere remained positive. The effort kicked off at Cruise Park, moved behind God’s Love, and concluded at the tunnel near Anchor Park.
This event was a remarkable display of camaraderie and interdepartmental cooperation. Leading the charge were Jacqueline, Our Place Program Manager, and Mikayla, Peer Support Specialist from Our Place, who kept everything running smoothly. Alongside our dedicated staff were numerous volunteers, many of whom are Our Place Peers and have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. In fact, the idea for Our Place’s participation in the cleanups came from these Peers!
The cleanup crew also included members of the Helena Police Department (HPD) and the Parks Department, with the latter providing trucks for trash removal. Both HPD and Parks Department staff worked alongside the volunteers. hese cleanups are not about displacing people but about making parks and public areas clean and safe for everyone, including our unhoused neighbors. We do not discard personal belongings—only trash. In fact, the tunnel cleanup had started well before our arrival, with the temporary residents leading by example!
For years, the Parks Department has been organizing these cleanups. Pat from the Parks Department mentioned that in the last 4-5 years, the number of people trying to set up more permanent residences in the parks has skyrocketed. With the addition of the Our Place team, we can help address this issue by connecting people with resources to get off the streets and into supportive environments.
Throughout the morning, Mikayla and Jacqueline frequently reminded people to collect their mail from Our Place—an essential service for those without a permanent address and encouraged folks to head down to Our Place for food and more. They knew everyone by name, as did the HPD and Parks Department staff, and provided compassionate support during the cleanup. They balanced firm instructions, like “Yes, you have to clean this up,” with genuine concern, asking, “How are you doing?” and “What do you need?”
This event was a kind and collaborative effort from all parties involved. While there were a few dissenting voices, the gratitude from those helped far outweighed the negativity. We recognize that there is no perfect solution to this complex issue. People deserve a safe place to sleep, and everyone deserves clean parks to enjoy—whether they are housed or not. We are committed to expanding our reach and programs to connect those in need with the help they require.
We extend a special thank you to the Our Place Peers who volunteered—Brandon, Stuart, William, and Jay (some preferred to remain unnamed)—as well as the staff at Our Place, the Helena Police Department, the Parks Department, and the Sanitation Department. This is the third cleanup Our Place Peers have participated in, and these events have become a huge part of their recovery group, giving them a sense of purpose and vital community connection.
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Judge Peterson for providing a reduction in fines to those who participated in the cleanup.
If you have questions about these cleanups, how to get involved with our Ministries, or have a suggestion of a place to clean up please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]
Cashier
Hours: 40 hrs/wk
Good Samaritan Ministries, motivated by faith-based teaching, works in our community to advance family life, human dignity, and the common good. We provide services to meet the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals and families of all faiths, especially those most in need. Good Samaritan Thrift Store acts as an integral part of Good Samaritan Ministries mission to offer the programs and services to advance human dignity, respect and support.
Essential Functions: Duties and Responsibilities including but not limited to the following:
- Operates cash registers, cash transactions, credit cards, personal check sales, as well as voucher transactions
- Ensures Check Rite machine is used on all check transactions
- Acts as the first point of contact by greeting and assisting customers, treating all with dignity and respect
- Responsible when a “Back-Up’ cashier is called that you respond and cover for the time period needed.
- Answers incoming calls when the Receptionist is not available
- Responsible for managing the flow of the front counter and cash register
- May be required to tidy up the dressing rooms
- Ability to stay busy, take initiative and perform any duties necessary for the benefit
- Stocked for daily sales, especially during ½ price sale
- Responsible for keeping assigned cashier areas clean and orderly, while keeping displays pleasing to the customer’s eye.
- Assists with “pull-downs” at the end of the month or as directed.
- Puts away processed and priced merchandise to the correct departments as time allows
- Adheres to all building safety requirements, as well as follows procedure when an incident, accident, or injury has occurred.
- Adheres to all store lifting policies and weight restrictions
- In the event, a co-worker is out, potentially be willing to cover for staff and/or area
- Greets and assists customers, treating all with respect and dignity
- Interacts and communicates professionally and effectively while maintaining open communication with supervisors, other team members, customers, and clients.
- Functions as a team member for the success of the Good Samaritan Store
- Learns New Tasks
- Follows Directions and Policies
- Attends all meetings and training as required
- Other duties as assigned
- Valid MT Driver’s License, or valid MT Identification Card, and social security card for hiring purposes and dependent upon position.
Benefits include full medical, dental, vision, 401(k), employer monthly contribution to health savings account. Please contact Human Resources Coordinator for details.
Dock Production Assistant
Salary: $13/hr
Hours: 40/wk
Good Samaritan Ministries, motivated by faith-based teaching, works in our community to advance family life, human dignity, and the common good. We provide services to meet the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals and families of all faiths, especially those most in need. Good Samaritan Thrift Store acts as an integral part of Good Samaritan Ministries mission to offer the programs and services to advance human dignity, respect, and support.
The Dock Production Assistant is responsible for accepting incoming donations as well as sorting and preparing donations for store sales and under very stressful conditions.
Essential Functions: Duties and Responsibilities including but not limited to the following:
- Works on dock accepting incoming donation items and sorts according to the various departments.
- Works on dock refusing incoming donation items that are ripped, stained, torn, or broken.
- Moves lift furniture items, and assists customers with loading purchased merchandise
- Responsible for keeping the dock warehouse clean, orderly, and safe during the scheduled shifts.
- Provides customers with donation receipts
- Responsible for ensuring a safe sales floor environment for co-workers and customers
- Informs supervisor about any repairs or supplies needed
- Adheres to all building safety requirements, as well as follows procedure when an incident, accident or injury has occurred.
- Adheres to all store lifting policies and weight restrictions
- In the event, a co-worker is out, potentially be willing to cover for the dock area
- Greets and assists customers, clients, and donors, treating all with respect and dignity
- Maintains floors, sweeping, washing on the dock area
- Breaks down cardboard boxes for recycling
- Interacts and communicates professionally and effectively while maintaining open communication with supervisors, other team members, customers, and clients.
- Learns New Tasks
- Follows Directions and Policies
- Attends all meetings and trainings as required
- Other duties as assigned
- Frequent Lifting, carrying and transporting of objects weighing up to 125lbs or above.
- Mobility within the facility and the ability to occasionally drive, load, and unload the delivery truck
Benefits: Full Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account and 401 (k)!