Good Sam hosts vaccine event for unhoused neighbors

The Parkland Mobile Medical bus visits Good Samaritans of Garland on the third Tuesday of every month to help with the medical needs of unhoused neighbors. However, Tuesday, March 17, they provided even more assistance. They brought a team to give Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to those who wanted them. In addition, there were techs on-hand to administer Hepatitis A vaccines. Pam Swendig, executive director of Good Sam, said that there had been an increase in the number of unhoused people contracting Hepatitis A. So, she was especially grateful for the Parkland team administering the Hep A shots, as well as the COVID-19 vaccines.

By the end of the day, 46 unhoused neighbors had received COVID-19 vaccines and 26 had received the Hepatitis A vaccine.

Other partners

Streetside Showers visits Good Sam every Tuesday so they were also in attendance to offer shower facilities and hygiene products for the homeless community.

Representatives from another nonprofit, Metro Relief, were there to visit with and assist the homeless visitors. They help by assessing each person’s vulnerability level then finding appropriate assistance programs. A couple of the many things they do include getting them on waiting lists for housing and helping them find employment.

A success story by the name of Floyd was assessed by Metro Relief representatives a while back. The organization helped him find a job and get into an apartment. He’s now on his own.

Mike Bencheck, with the nonprofit Matthew 25:40 Project, was also there to help people get IDs and birth certificates. Having these documents helps unhoused people secure employment.

Ruth, one of the techs from Dallas County Health & Human Services, talked about the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

“It’s a pandemic, so anywhere you go you could be exposed,” she said. “This isn’t the flu. It is much more serious. We need to be vigilant and not wait to get the vaccine. Listen to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.”

Everyone also had the opportunity to enjoy a hot meal provided by Santini Saygidia and his family. They are dedicated supporters of Good Sam and very often provide food for their events.

Stay tuned for an article about several exciting events to be presented by Good Sam in 2021 and 2022.

Parkland’s Mobile Medical bus: The Homeless Outreach Medical Services (HOMES) program is an effort between Parkland and the Children’s Health Fund. This program provides medical, dental and behavioral health services to children and adults who are homeless. Health care services are offered from five medical mobile clinics at various sites throughout Dallas County.

Metro Relief: Metro Relief began out of God’s heart for the homeless. Austin Bonds, Metro Relief’s Founder, was serving with New York City Relief when God gave him a vision for future ministry: to take the Relief Bus model of homeless ministry developed at NYC Relief and replicate it in major cities across the United States.

Streetside Showers: Our mission is to “Offer hope and help restore human dignity to the homeless community in the form of a hot shower and personal hygiene care.”

Matthew 25-40 Project: Our mission is to “Provide the resources and the caring hearts to enable our homeless and near homeless friends to move toward independence and freedom by assisting them in locating available housing, jobs and other resources necessary to achieve these goals.

Santini Saygidia: Santini is a Garland resident and franchise owner of the Golden Corral in Grand Prairie. He was the Presenting Sponsor for last year’s Good Sam Murder Mystery fundraising event. Through his generosity, there are always hot meals available at Good Sam picnics. Santini and his family members are faithful Good Sam volunteers.