Community Compassion Commitment
The Samaritan Club of Calgary provides short-term assistance to Calgarians in need. How do we help?
We are dedicated to providing help to families and individuals in Calgary who find themselves in a crisis. We have a variety of programs to help support those in need. The Samaritan Club holds a special place in Calgary's history of volunteering and has been around since 1910.
Our pride is in our ability to quickly meet the needs of many Calgarians each year. Living in a big city can be tough. Just getting by can be hard enough but throw in an injury or loss of a job, and suddenly, the whole family is at risk. We are dedicated to providing help for those in crisis or just needing short-term assistance, which can mean groceries, medications, infant formula, and transit passes, made available within 24 hours of the request. This is done by a referral from social workers, community support workers and health care professionals. Our funds are also made available for a variety of needs such as education and scholarships, transportation, aids to daily living, and sending special needs children to camp.
Money is budgeted for newborn baby layettes – an integral part of the club since the beginning. Items that were once made by the members are now purchased to help needy mothers - 700 in the past year. These are distributed 4 times a year to hospitals and post-partum facilities in the city.
When there are extra funds available, we take on special projects. Most recently, the Kerby Centre Shelter for Older Adults “Move out Fund”.
We do not advertise except by word of mouth and by informing agencies throughout the city about how to contact our volunteers. A final outstanding feature of the Club is that it operates without any administrative overhead. Our members pay annual dues to ensure that 100% of the funds raised can be directed to those in need.