Good Samaritan NewsGood Samaritan Family ServicesServing the Lord by reaching out to those in need Fall 2011

A quarterly publication of Good Samaritan Family Services, which serves needy families in Antrim and Charlevoix Counties.

Pantry & resale shoP news

Mary Peterson, Director

The headlines in the paper announced one in six Americans live in poverty. One in six. I heard the CEO of Feeding America NW Michigan say that he used to think that most of the hunger was confined to the inner city areas. Poverty and hunger are real in rural Michigan. It is sometimes hard to imagine the struggles folks all around us are going through. Not having enough food in the house to feed my children, searching for help to avoid the electric shut-off, knowing there is no way I

Faces of Povertycan afford a minimum fill of propane, needing to take my baby to the specialist though knowing I don’t have the gas to get there, having that tooth ache again but no funds to pull it, having the water turned off and now we don’t have a working bathroom, watering down the milk to make it last, and how am I going to handle this eviction notice, where will the kids stay while I camp out in the car? Can you imagine families facing any combination of these very real, and very common concerns? So many of

the families around us are living on the edge; one illness, one more missed day of work because the baby is sick, or a car breakdown can be the final straw that sends them into a freefall. Can you imagine the overwhelming stress they live with? These aren’t the inner city folks, they are our neighbors. They are the people in line behind you in the store. They are the family in the pew across the aisle in church. Their little girl is in your child’s class. Their son is on the ball team. They are the older couple trying to survive their Golden Years. They’ve lost jobs, lost pensions, lost hope. They have struggled to find work, or are working but the hours keep disappearing. They are the disabled, the uneducated, the overeducated, and overqualified. They are the medical poor, medical expenses have left them in poverty. They are single young moms trying to provide for their precious little ones. They are the widows trying to live on the little bit they receive each month. They are living in tents in fields, with no access

Continued on next page

2 Good Samaritan News Fall 2011

Visit our new & Improved website!

www.thegoodsam.orgIt is now possible to make a donation to

Good Samaritan on our website.Click on “Donate” tab. Major credit cards

are accepted through PayPal.

Check it out!

Gifts Given in Honor or in Memory of a Loved One

Bonnie Miller Gary & Sue Mortensen honormy two precious grandchildren Pat Budzynski honorPeggy Borowiak-Mother’s Day Tim Borowiak honorRay Borowiak-birthday Tim Borowiak honorRay Borowiak-Father’s Day Tim Borowiak honorRon Mortensen Gary & Sue Mortensen honorthanksgiving for sucessful surgery for grandson Pat Budzynski honorAlan Donaldson Joe & Carolyn Juracko memoryArt & Dorothy Stoel Paul & Carolyn Foster memoryBernice Ruis Bernard & Doris Ruis memoryBernice Ruis Bob & Noreen Jolliffe memoryBernice Ruis Doris Shooks memoryBernice Ruis Greta Elam memoryBernice Ruis Hap & Sylvia Dawson memoryBernice Ruis Leon & Dale Bush memoryBernice Ruis Marcia Ward memoryBernice Ruis Nancy Ferguson memoryBernice Ruis Ron & Katie Sowers memoryBernice Ruis Steve & Marilyn Carpenter memoryBernice Ruis Theola Elzinga memoryBob Knipe Joe & Carolyn Juracko memoryCarl Petrie East Jordan Class of 1945 memoryCarl Petrie Howard & Marge Best memoryCarl Petrie Walt & Joyce Marcotte memoryEarl Mason Jim & Barbara Lewis memoryEarl Mason Kathleen Niles memoryEarl Mason Pastor Dave & Bev Scott memoryEarl Mason Pleasant Valley Free Methodist Church memoryEd Huizinga Wilbur & Joan Hofstra memoryErnest & Ruth Foster Paul & Carolyn Foster memoryFern Best Eva Kelly & family memoryFern Best Franklin & Corinne Fisher memoryHelen Orcutt Petter Jeanne Coakley Millman memoryHelen Orcutt Petter Marilyn Coakley memoryJack Schnell Armor Express memoryJerry Hidecker John & Beverly Fiske memoryLawrence Boss Ike & Joyce Boss memoryLisa Spare John & Beverly Fiske memoryMelvin “Pat” Nunn Edie & Alan Retell memoryMildred Davis Armor Express memoryNancy Donaldson Joe & Carolyn Juracko memoryR.J. Webb Leila Jane Webb memoryRuth Cooper Ike & Joyce Boss memorySybil Wynsma Bob & Jane Prebble memorySybil Wynsma Ella Hoffman memorySybil Wynsma Harold & June VeldKamp memorySybil Wynsma Lyndel VanderArk memorySybil Wynsma Marilyn Cleary memorySybil Wynsma Mary VanKammen memorySybil Wynsma Rick & Robert Balch memoryTwala Wolfe Donald Stevens memory

to electricity or running water. Real people. I wish I could share with you their faces; the look when they first come into the pantry, scared and unsure, ashamed and downcast. I wish you could have seen the desperation in the face of the construction worker as he apologized for being there, telling me he couldn’t find work, has tried to sell his equipment, and he doesn’t want his kids to be hungry. It isn’t easy to come in and ask for help to feed your family. Every month we have new families; 47 new families last month. One senior gentleman gave me a note one day that said “thank you for not letting me starve”. I wish I could share with you the hugs and smiles that we get as people get to know us, to see us as friends, hopefully to see the love of Christ in us.

The word is that soon there will be no middle class; it will be those that have plenty and those that are in a daily struggle. As we all begin to realize that folks around us are in a daily battle to have the basics of food and water, heat, electricity, and a safe place to live… we will see that we can make a difference as we offer our support and hope. Please help us help them. Thanks you so much for your concern and your compassion.

Thank you

for not letting

me starve

Faces of Povertycontinued from page 1

Fall 2011 Good Samaritan News 3

“I’m afraid to think what would happen to us without your help!” As I was getting a grateful hug, that phrase was whispered in my ear. Families are so thankful for the help we are able to provide. While I can’t share all those hugs with you I can share the “Thanks!”. It is because you are praying for our ministry, have made financial donations, brought us items to share, or you have volunteered your time that “we” are able to be here to help folks with food, emergency

needs, or good warm clothing! Really you are part of that, “we”! I realize that all this is possible because the Lord’s hand is holding up our work, and I’m so glad He has tapped you on the shoulder! As we brace for what might be one doozy of a winter, and surely a difficult one for families living on the edge, your support, prayers, and concern are more important than ever! Thanks for all you do to benefit so many!

Mary

You are the Good Samaritans

We will be providing food, toys, hats & mittens

to over 400 youngsters this Christmas!

4 Good Samaritan News Fall 2011

CAR SEAT COVERSThe experts say

that a mom should avoid putting puffy outerwear on her baby in the winter in the car seat. Rather it is better to put a car seat cover on the seat.

The center has a sewing volunteer who is making

covers for car seats and needs some help with materials to make them for our babies. She needs:• 12” and 14” nylon zippers in pastel colors• ¼ elastic• Double fold bias tape• Velcro buttons• Polar fleece (takes about a yard to make cover)Please drop off donations at the

center

NOW AVAILABLEDONATION BY ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER As a convenience to our donors who wish to do so, we have arranged with our bank to receive donations by electronic fund transfers from your bank to Good Samaritan Family Services. If that is of interest to you, please read the agreement below. If you have questions please call Bill Broadwick at 231-590-9887. If you would like to donate through this simple process, please complete the Authorization Agreement and return it in enclosed envelope. We will send a copy to you by return mail. When each donation is transferred, we will send you a receipt. Thank you.

AUTHORIZATION AGREEMENT FOR PREAUTHORIZED PAYMENTSNAME (AS IT APPEARS ON MY ACCOUNT) ___________________________________

I (we) hereby authorize Good Samaritan Family Services, to initiate debit entries to my (our)

o Checking o Savings account (select one) indicated below and MY BANK named below to debit

same to such account.

MY BANK’S NAME __________________________________________________

CITY ___________________________________ STATE__________

ZIP ________________

MY BANK’S ROUTING NO. _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

MY ACCOUNT NO. ____________________________________________

As an alternative to completing the above, a voided personal check may be enclosed with this signed

and dated form.

AMOUNT OF DONATION TO BE DEDUCTED $_____________________

FREQUENCY OF DONATION: o MONTHLY, o QUARTERLY, o ONE TIME,

o OTHER ______________________________________

PREFERRED WITHDRAWAL DATE: o 3rd o 15th

This authority is to remain in full force and effect until Good Samaritan Family Services has received

written notification from me (or either of us) of its termination in such time and in such manner as to

afford Good Samaritan a reasonable opportunity to act on it.

SIGNED ________________________________________DATE: __________________

SIGNED ________________________________________DATE: __________________

Director’s AssistantMoms & Tots CenterPart-time Position

Duties:1. Develop and facilitate an abstinence

presentation for our local middle and high school students annually.

2. Conducting study courses at the center for clients (Nutrition, Bible, financial management, etc.).

3. Assuming the duties of the director in her absence (one day per week).

4. Representing the center occasionally at churches and service organizations

5. Performing other similar or related work.

Qualifications:1. College degree preferred (with some

counseling and supervisory skill/experience)2. Up-to-date skills on current versions of Micro-

Soft Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint).3. Must be active in a local church and have a

close personal relationship with Jesus Christ.4. Must be capable of exhibiting the love and

hope of Christ to our young mothers.5. Must believe that all of life is precious, whether

in the womb or in the world.

The position will be under the general supervision of the Director of Moms & Tots.

Please send letter of introduction and resume to:Administrative Assistant PositionMoms & Tots CenterPO Box 206Ellsworth, MI 49729

This position will be filled in January 2012. All correspondence will receive a response. No phone calls please.

Fall 2011 Good Samaritan News 5

MoMs & tots center news

Caring For Our Moms And Their Babies, And More

The center is a place where our young mothers find a safety net of caring. Most of our moms are excited about the coming baby. They don’t have career or college paths in their immediate plans. Our center focuses on the mothers who have decided to parent their babies—which is about 99% of the single mothers in our area. We are prepared to counsel abortion prone young women, but because we very seldom have women come here at that desperate point, our ministry is largely to the health and well-being of the mother to be and the coming baby. First of all we let the mother know that she is NOT ALONE, that we will be there for the long haul, through

her pregnancy, delivery and beyond. Our mothers know that we care about them, we remember them from month to month and year to year, and we pray for them.

There are many young families (some may be your neighbors) that are facing a tough winter. Some are working but they are just “one nostril above water” all the time. We supplement their baby food and formula needs, and offer them lovely gently used clothes. Some are couples who are both out of work and have few resources as they head into our Michigan winter. We are gearing up for winter-with warm clothes, boots, hat & mittens, car seat covers and

blankets. We want to make sure that our babies are safe and warm. With grant monies that we have been given, we can keep our babies safe in their new cribs and car seats.

Our beautiful babies are the tiny, helpless little ones. With your help and support, our mothers can grow in their parenting and relational skills, making better choices for themselves. In our way we are supporting life, the tiny baby’s life and the mother and

dads well-being.Beyond what we are doing

now, in the coming year our vision is to facilitate an abstinence program to offer our middle and high school students. Our local teenagers desperately need to be challenged with the importance of waiting to experience the most intimate relationships. In 2009, 40% of our Michigan babies were born to single mothers. We see this as a crying problem; literally.

Thank you faithful prayer and giving supporters. You are “stakeholders” of all that God is doing through the center.

Carole Broadwick, Director

6 Good Samaritan News Fall 2011

Gifts Given in Honor or in Memory of a Loved OneIn Honor of

All babies given by Pam & Don Smith

Lisa Chew given by Vince and Mary Ann Chew

James L. Jackson given by Susan McDonald

Audrey I Malone given by Grandma G.

Grace C. Malone given by Grandma G.

Margaret M. Malone given by Grandma G.

Colleen Urban given by Cyndi Urban

Stacy Urban given by Cyndi Urban

Barbara Wranesh given by Katie Reed

Rev. Dr. Andrew Martinez

In Memory of

Kathlyn R. Hribljan given by her loving family

Dekar Ezri Schmidt given by Marge Schmidt

Catherine Hulse and Genevieve Reich given by Lew and Linda

Reich

George & Alma Finch given by Fay & John Kirkpatrick

Dorothy Schmidt given by Maurice Schmidt

Bob Person given by Bud Person

Floyd Schaaf & Charlene Waters given by Roger & Donna Waters

Susan Young given by Judy Willey

Gus Duhart given by Grand Kids

Marie Oliver given by Gail McDowell

The Men & Women that serve our Country given by Rose Perry

Our parents Mr. & Mrs. Furmanek and Mr. & Mrs. Plaggemars

given by Mildred and Virgil Plaggemars

Dale & Dora James given by Arlene Somerville

Bruce Scott given by Pauline Scott

Kelly Marie Coltson given by Debbie Brown and Beverly Moody

Mr. & Mrs Furmanek and Mr. & Mrs. Plaggemars (our parents)

Given by Virg & Mildred Plaggemars

Patricia Ann Williams given by Edena Williams

David Baker given by Bev Baker Jones

Beth Roe given by Berneil & Marv Olson

Ermil Jones by Beverly Baker

Don Minish given by Bill & Mona Minish

Nancy Bacon given by Helen & Stanley Derenzy, Jim & Lynda,

Courtney and Jessica Brown

Gunner given by Nancy Lacroix

Baby Showers for the Moms & Tots Center

Since our last issue of the newsletter, showers have been held for the Center by two generous friends.

Don & Dr. Kathy Hoyt recently asked Bellaire Chiropractic Center patients to donate new or gently used baby related items or monetary gifts to the Moms & Tots Center in Ellsworth to celebrate the birth of their first born, Amelia Suzanne Hoyt. The outpouring of donated items was overwhelming plus $235 in monetary donations. Thank you to all your generous patients.

The Ladies of the Michigan State Grange included the Moms & Tots Center in their many volunteer efforts in their northern Michigan chapter. An overwhelming array of baby gifts was donated plus a “hatful” of monetary donations of $110 at a luncheon in Cadillac. We are amazed that folks so far away from us wanted to help the Center. Many thanks, Ladies!

VIsIt us onlIne! www.thegoodsam.org

Fall 2011 Good Samaritan News 7

Two hundred sixty guests from many communities surrounding Ellsworth braved a cold, rainy, windy night to attend the lovely event held at Castle Farms in Charlevoix. Carole Broadwick provided a pictorial update of the ministry. The feature speaker was Bob Dutko, a Christian radio talk show host from the Detroit area. A personal testimony was given by Crystal Hoeksema. Entertainment was provided by the Gailliard String Trio. The delicious dinner was catered by Grey Gables Restaurant and Catering, and the desserts were catered by New York Cakes Up North.

Our generous guests surpassed the goal of $40,000, toward the future ministry of Moms & Tots Center. The final count was over $48,000. This represents about half of our budget for 2012. We are grateful to the donors and to our Heavenly Father. Some of the future goals are: development of a prevention program to challenge teens with abstinence, open new programs to help our mothers with finances, meal preparation, etc., and to add to our staff to help reach these goals.

The entire cost of the banquet was underwritten by generous friends of

Eleventh Annual Fundraising Banquet a HUGE Success

the ministry. Every dollar donated the night of the banquet goes to further the

Moms & Tots ministry.

CHARLEVOIX

EAST JORDAN

CENTRAL LAKE

ELLSWORTH

Atw

ood Rd (C

R 48)

Church St(CR 48)

Essex Rd

ATWOOD Main S

t (CR

65)

Center St

Ellsworth Rd (CR 48)

Lake St

Bridge St

Six Mile Lake Rd

Pleasant H

ill Rd

Rushton R

d

Moms & Tots Center

Pantry and Resale Shop

EllsworthLake

St. ClairLake

WoodenShoe Park

Visiting Good Samaritan Family ServicesPantry and Resale Shop 231-588-2208

Moms & Tots Center 231-588-2200

Good Samaritan Family Services has been help-ing needy families since 1990.

Good Samaritan Pantry and Resale Shop sells gently used clothing and other items at low prices to help with the cost of providing food for more than 600 families each month. The Pantry also provides clothing, and helps with utility and heating bills as our finances permit. The Pantry is located at 9746 Main Street in Ellsworth.

The Pantry is open Tuesday 10 to 7, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 to 4, and Saturday from 10 to 2.

Moms & Tots Center began serving the needs of young pregnant women and young mostly single mothers and their babies in 2001. Services include pregnancy tests, peer counseling, a baby closet for supplies and equipment, and an earn while you learn program. The Center has nearly 400 active clients at this time. The Center is located at 9100 Pleasant Hill Road in Ellsworth.

The Center is open Tuesday and Thursday from 10 to 4, and Wednesday from 1 to 4.

Good Samaritan is a member of the Antrim County Community Collaborative, an organization composed of county social service agencies. We work closely with other agencies and churches to better share resources and help families that need a hand up.

Good Samaritan Family ServicesPost Office Box 206

Ellsworth, Michigan 49729

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTRAVERSE CITY, MI

PERMIT #568