United Samaritans Foundation

MODESTO -- Loretta Lyn Simmons helped out at United Samaritans before she found herself in need of services. She volunteered in the clothes closet and worked as a caregiver. But in 2009, Simmons, at right, became homeless, living in her car.

When her client died, the reduction in income left Simmons unable to retain housing. She began using United Samaritan services, eating meals from the lunch trucks, using the clothes closet, laundry facilities, showers and the emergency food box program.

"Back in September of 2008 until the beginning of 2009, I was living in my car off Highway 99 at the Turlock rest stop," Simmons said. "If they weren't there I would have had to sell my car, become more sicker and I would have died."

United Samaritans Foundation delivers food to people in need in Stanislaus County and facilitates the provision of services to help them achieve a better quality of life.

Address: 220 S. Broadway, Turlock, 95380

Phone number: (209) 668-4853

Web site: www.unitedsamaritans.org

Services provided:

• Mobile Lunch Program serves nine communities in Stanislaus County, going into neighborhoods where the need is.

• Emergency Food Box Program, serving Hughson and Turlock, provides three meals a day for three days.

• Clothes Closet Program.

• Homeless Supportive Services provides showers, laundry facilities, mailing address and referrals to assist homeless individuals.

How we serve those in need:

Our monthly average for our Mobile Lunch Program is 32,000 lunches.

We assist an average of 280 families (573 individuals) monthly through our Emergency Food Box Program.

An average of 300 individuals a month are assisted in our Clothes Closet Program.

An average of 60 individuals on a daily basis use our homeless supportive services.

How a $10 donation can help:

1. 52 boxes of cereal for our Emergency Food Box Program.

2. An emergency food box for two months for a family of four.

3. 52 pounds of spaghetti for our Mobile Lunch Program for 800 lunches.

$25 donation:

1. 131 pounds of rice for lunch program.

2. Assist five families of six with an emergency food box.

3. 1,195 cans of soup for our Emergency Food Box Program.

$50 donation:

1. 280 cans of corn or green beans for our Emergency Food Box Program.

2. Provide a family of six with an emergency food box for seven months.

3. 263 pounds of dry beans for the Emergency Food Box Program and the Mobile Lunch Program.

$100 donation:

1. 50 lunches for Mobile Lunch Program.

2. Three and a half cases of peanut butter.

3. Five cases of jelly.

Volunteer update:

We have volunteer opportunities in the kitchen helping to prepare lunches, assisting with the preparation and distribution of our emergency food boxes, in the clothes closet helping clients or sorting the donated items, in the warehouse sorting donated food items from canned food drives, and in the office. Our Volunteer Coordinator is Esther Mann. Call her at (209) 668-4853.

Anything else we should know? Our Daily Bread Lunch Program is unique, delivering nutritious meals directly into the neighborhoods where very low income and low-income families and individuals reside.