The Holidays are not far away and SMGW once again would like to provide our Next Step Participants and their families with a blessed Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. Last year we provided 185 Thanksgiving food bags and 100 gift cards to our participants.

So far this year, Samaritan Ministry has served 1,252 individuals, including 830 Next Step Program participants across our five locations. More than 350 of our participants are new this year. Participants have achieved over 200 employment-related goals, including 42 participants who completed STRIVE job-readiness training. Our congratulations to each person who has persevered in working toward their goal!

Martha, Dewayne, Yolanda, James, Kenneth…these are just a few of our Next Step Participants who are working on their goals to have better housing, better employment, or another component of a good life for themselves. SMGW works with participants, not clients, as each person is actively engaged in setting their own goals and taking their own next steps. While each participant has their own story, Samaritan Ministry is a part of every person story of addressing challenges and overcoming barriers.

We give thanks to our numerous volunteers, staff and leadership for making the 2018 cruise a resounding success! It turned out to be a beautiful day, and more than 30 volunteers and guests joined Samaritan Ministry staff for a leisurely cruise from Alexandria to Georgetown to Navy Yard and back to Alexandria.