Center Staff
Martha Buckman, Interim Director | Email
Mary Lou Greim, Caseworker
Jennifer Chappel, Caseworker
Martha Buckman, Pantry & Social Services Program Director
Tanya Duncan, Broadway Bargains Store Manager
Kathy Mynatt, Broadway Bargains Asst. Store Manager
Brenda Spicer, Bargain Furniture Store Manager
Greg Martin, Senior Home Repair Director
Opal Fields, Silver Sneakers
Gayle Geiger, Senior Advocate & Volunteer Coordinator
Liz Hull, Volunteer Coordinator
Sonya Morgan, Electronic Communications
Crystal Canfield, Custodian
Our Directors
Martin Conrad, President
Christine Snedden, Vice-President
Robert Hart, Treasurer
Shawna Mull, Secretary
Don BonJour, Ambrose Buckman, Emily Duncan, Kelly Harkins, Bernadette Hodges, John S. Lacy, Cliff Nelles, Marlene O'Dell, Phillip PopeJoy, Nora Reinhardt, Michelle Slankard, Eartha Taylor, Larry Tesar.
Board of Directors meet on the 4th Thursday of each month, 6 p.m. Public is welcome to attend.
Our Mission Statement
Dedicated to preventing homelessness and hunger by providing basic life needs and access to life skills.
Our Founder
In November 1986, Father Larry Speichinger established the Good Samaritan Center to meet emergency needs of poor people living in Excelsior Springs. The mission was originally supported by St. Ann Church, pastored at that time by Speichinger, and its St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Fr. Larry retired as Executive Director in January, 2003, and served as Spiritual Director to the Center on a volunteer basis for several years. He passsed away on October 16, 2008.
Our History
The Good Samaritan Center was started in 1986 when Father Larry Speichinger called together a dedicated and compassionate group at St. Ann Catholic Church to consider responses to the area’s growing number of families asking for help. What began as a St. Vincent De Paul group soon grew into an independent social service agency giving emergency assistance and advocacy to families and individuals in Excelsior Springs and the surrounding rural areas of Clay and Ray Counties, who were lacking or at risk of not having, life’s basic necessities.
In May of 1989 the Good Samaritan Center of Excelsior Springs was incorporated and granted tax exempt status from the IRS. One of the original founding group, Mary Lou Greim has served as center director since it's incorporation.
In 1992 the Center’s children’s program was started; Good Sam Kids Club meets in the basement of the Center's building four days a week. Children are helped with skills and homework, work on computers, and do artwork with one-on-one attention from volunteers.
In 1993 Good Samaritan Center Shop, a thrift store, opened. It is called Broadway Bargains and is located in the upstairs of the Center's building, corner of Thompson and Broadway. The store provides good, used clothing and household items for reasonable cost, and at no cost to families who have no money. The store provides training in job skills for one to three workers in the Title 5 Program.
Good Samaritan House was opened in 1996 for families with at least one employable adult and at least one child. The 3-story building, donated by a local family, was gutted and renovated into three large apartments. It houses a strict program of transitional living for families who are at risk of homelessness. Families stay from three to twelve months. They learn life skills, communication and cooperation skills, budgeting, and while in the program, accumulate savings for moving into secure housing. Several have bought homes.
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contact us
Good Samaritan Center
108 Thompson Ave.
Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
Phone:
816-630-2718, + extention
Assistance Requests
Mary Lou, Ext. 24
Jennifer, Ext. 23
Martha, Ext. 28
Email Martha
Pantry Donations, Ext. 28
Interim Director
Martha Buckman, Ext. 28
Email Martha
NAP Donations
Martha Buckman, Ext. 28
Volunteer Coordinator
Liz Hull, Ext. 26
Fax: 816-637-2178
Broadway Bargains:
816-637-7424
Bargain Furniture
816-630-1100
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