Winter Appeal 2025-2026

Hello to All Our Friends, Neighbors and Supporters,  

As the weather gets colder and the holidays approach, we look back on our time at Samaritan Inn and are reminded of its humble beginnings. In 1977, Sr. Thomasina Gebhard PhD, started a program of supportive guidance, food and shelter with the help of a small group of friends and associates in a time of economic crisis. Today, Samaritan Inn still operates with a small staff and just as we use our limited resources carefully, we teach our clients to use their own resources wisely.

Though the years have passed and times have changed, our work remains the same. Samaritan Inn provides emergency food, community case management and temporary shelter to homeless people in Sussex County regardless of age, sex, race or religion.  We recognize that homelessness is not self-inflicted nor is it simply the result of irresponsibility. It happens to families and individuals who are working, tax-paying, contributing, members of our community. We are all experiencing the effects of the rising cost of living.  Coupled with that is the now low inventory of rental units and skyrocketing rents. This creates the perfect storm for homelessness.

Samaritan Inn remains a refuge against this storm of uncertainty; a safe place where families can come, learn and achieve stability. As part of our Mission and Philosophy, Samaritan Inn shares a positive responsibility with other helping agencies within and around our county to preserve the dignity of the individual, to relieve human suffering, to offer sanctuary to the homeless, to exercise good stewardship of resources and to participate cooperatively within the Sussex County social service network.

In the past fiscal year:

The Samaritan Inn Family Shelter Program provided 11,115 nights of shelter for 38 families, 107 individuals (49 adults, 58 children) in our 13 apartments. Our food pantry provided 41,280 pounds of food to 1,439 clients, 516 families (923 adults, 516 children), distributing over 2,064 bags of food.  In 2024, our Family Shelter Program had a 91% success rate of moving families into permanent housing.

To continue our mission, we are once again asking our community to partner with us as we continue to help people rebuild their lives and successfully achieve and maintain independent housing.

Some suggestions to partner with us:

• Make a one-time or recurring donation through PayPal or mail (see below)
• Donate gift cards for our shelter residents to use for groceries, household cleaning products, gas or laundry

We thank you in advance for your continued support of Samaritan Inn; we are confident that together we can continue to be a beacon of hope for the families of Sussex County. In 2026, we look forward to helping even more families secure stable housing and achieve self-sufficiency. It is now more important than ever that we can continue to help our community.   If you can help in any way, please know how greatly appreciated you are! You have our deepest heartfelt gratitude.

Please remember that your donation is tax deductible, and every donation goes for the greater good to help homeless families in Sussex County.

The Board of Directors, Staff and Families of Samaritan Inn wish you a safe and warm holiday season.

Client Voices of 2025

“I felt very supported by Samaritan Inn. They held me accountable, set reasonable goals and offered guidance and support through this whole process.  I cannot thank Samaritan Inn enough for getting me to the next step.”

“I am now excited for my future and am glad to have my power back and be able to plan my own future.”

“Getting my own apartment, standing in it with the keys was the first time I cried happy tears ever. Thank you so much for believing in me, being there for me during the biggest transformation of my life.”

“We were grateful to be given the opportunity to stay at Samaritan Inn with all of the support resources. They are so kind and supportive and kept us on track to our independence, helping us financially and finding us a new home.”

“We appreciated the kindness everyone showed us”