The very core of the Good Samaritan Network is the tireless volunteers who help it meet its mission of serving Hamilton County’s neediest families.
During the winter months, the organization puts on multiple events for those families, including a Christmas event at the 4-H fairgrounds which puts clothes, food and toys into the hands of many, many families.
To keep the machine moving, and to coordinate the many efforts of the Good Samaritan Network, volunteers are needed in many facets. Judy Moon, a data entry volunteer, is one who helps make Good Samaritan’s mission possible. Moon, a nurse by trade, wanted to remain active when she retired.
Moon went on mission trips to try to stay active, but eventually decided she wanted to help people on a more local level. Today, she is a Noblesville resident who volunteers out of the network’s office in Fishers and has done so for more than two-and-a-half years.
“I decided I needed to do something locally to help the people locally,” she said.
One phone call to the Good Samaritan office later and she’s now there almost every day during this busy season. She directly helps thousands of people on a local level.
Moon helped log data for more than 18,000 people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons last year. Moon and Nancy Chance, Good Samaritan’s executive director, track the information and deliver it to the proper people, making it possible for organizations to select families they can best support, according to Moon.
She said some days are tiring – stacks of information can be daunting – but at the end of the day, she feels good about “doing the Lord’s work.”
Every family has a different story, according to Moon.
“I feel really good when I go home that I’m helping people out,” she said.
Moon said Good Samaritan Network was always looking for more volunteers in many capacities, and those interested should check out the organization’s Web site, www.gsnlive.org.