One more day towards the Good Samaritan Christmas distribution program that happens on Saturday. A lot of people have been working all week and the event is coming together. Wednesday is the transition day as you could see by the pictures from yesterday’s post, but Thursday was the day this year that things start nailing down and finalizing. It is the day that instead of a pile of toys or games, it becomes a bit more organized.
Volunteers
A lot of volunteers were there today and they hopefully overlooked what can seem chaotic and saw the change they made from the beginning to the end of their time. Those that were in the building earlier in the week that returned, did comment on how transitional the change and been. This is a direct result of the hundreds volunteering and jumping onto all the tasks. While some might seem silly, they generally move things closer to being ready for Saturday when people will come.
It is also interesting to see the variety of groups that volunteer. The Boys Scouts were back in full force. There were groups such as Hamilton County Leadership Academy and Noblesville United as well. Politicians continue to pop in and help and then simply a vast number of community members including individuals, couples, and entire families.
Good Samaritan Network
It’s worth pointing out that this and the other holiday events are not all that GSN does. They are serving Hamilton County all year by working with those with a need as well as with working with the other organizations in the county. They work with people through an assessment process. This process normally begins by working with a Township Trustee or a few other organizations. Through referrals and assessments, they tend to help in a number of areas including:
- Financial Assistance
- Holiday Assistance (Thanksgiving / Christmas)
- Energy Assistance (EAP)
- BABE Store
- Food Insecurities / Summer Lunch / Food Back Sack
- REHAB Equipment
- Housing / Shelter
- Referrals / Household
- Back To School / Kids Coats
- Job Fair / Training
- Pet Food
- COAD / Disasters
- Medical / Emergency / Prescription Related
- Special Events
Services, such as financial assistance can have some restrictions. You can find out more about their programs at https://www.gsnlive.org/client-assistance. Again, these services are offered throughout the year.
This week, however, GSN is focused on getting the event ready on Saturday for those that registered by the online deadline of December 3rd. With one more day to finalize the setup and preparations, things are aligning into place!