Good Samaritans of Garland, with help from various community partners, hosted a special event Friday, June 28. It started with the inaugural visit of the Parkland Mobile Care unit with a staff of two healthcare workers who provided medical care to eight unhoused individuals.
Garland Council Member Deborah Morris was on-hand for the festivities. She had seen a need for medical assistance for unhoused citizens and arranged the partnership between Parkland and Good Sam. That prompted the healthcare organization to provide breakfast, “Parkland & Pancakes,” for guests.
“Parkland was happy with the response and will be returning the last Friday of every month from 8 a.m. to noon,” Pam Swendig, Good Sam’s executive director, said. “Breakfast will be provided by team volunteers.”
Good Sam used this opportunity to kick off their North Texas Giving Day theme, “Good Sam CAN” / “Together We CAN.”
“We KNOW together is better in building a stronger, healthier community and that was highlighted by Parkland and other partners,” said Swendig. “This year’s theme is in line with our core values of Engage Community and Help Compassionately. We “CAN” provide food assistance for our hungry and food-insecure neighbors because teamwork and partnerships help us accomplish more toward our mission, achieve shared goals and build a strong community.”
Darien Bolden and Paul Falcon came from Texans Credit Union and brought meat and buns for hamburgers and hot dogs. They also stayed to do the grilling and provided 160 hamburgers and 130 hot dogs. Bolden and Falcon explained that they had been researching which organizations would be a good fit for partnering with Texans Credit Union.
“We talked to Pam [Swendig] and the next thing you know, here we are,” Bolden said.
Santini Sayidia, owner of the Grand Prairie Golden Corral and longtime partner of Good Samaritans, provided delicious side dishes. Mark Couser, pastor of Tree of Life Lutheran Church, kept the music going strong in his role as DJ.
The International Barber College provided 25 free haircuts and Triton Hugs was there with a trained LCC K-9 Comfort Dog from Messiah Lutheran Church. Refreshing sno-cones were available to help battle the summer heat.
Other sponsors included Lawson Communications, Precision Reprographics and Rene Tree Trimming who provided supplies and/or pre-event services.
Good Sam has a great group of volunteers that includes folks like Victoria Reyes who feeds job seekers at the Day Labor Center every Thursday. She, with the help of her sons, has been doing this for a year.
She said that because God prompted her to provide the food, she writes a message on every food container — God is good.
The Good Sam Garden Team (Garland High School I.B. juniors) was also there to give away vegetable plants donated by First Presbyterian Church.
Swendig, who has been with the organization for five years, expressed deep gratitude for all the community partners, Good Sam staff and volunteers that help the organization work toward its mission.
“Frequent ‘Picnics on the Plaza’ around our turquoise tables builds relationships and trust with those we serve,” Swendig said. “These events are a successful and fun way to engage our partners and neighbors and would not be possible without the staff and volunteers.”
About: Good Samaritans of Garland, “Good Sam,” was formed in 1983 from an alliance of several Garland faith communities with the intent to provide centrally-located services for neighbors in need of assistance. In 2016, the board of directors elected to narrow Good Sam’s assistance to provide food with kindness and compassion to hungry and food-insecure neighbors living in Garland, Rowlett and Sachse.