Volunteers and staff at Samaritan Community Center are preparing for the nonprofit’s biggest event of the year.

School supplies collected at donation drives this summer will fill 3,000 backpacks that will be distributed at the BackPacks for Kids event Aug. 1 at Arvest Ballpark. Families with tickets will also have access to free haircuts, dental screenings, immunizations and other community resources at the event.

“It is the best day of the year because every child is just grinning from ear to ear,” said Debbie Rambo, executive director of Samaritan. “This allows us to give the parents a boost up, and then helps those kids be prepared on day one.”

BackPacks for Kids is one part of a much larger network of services the nonprofit has built over nearly four decades.

Samaritan Community Center began in 1989 as a food pantry and clothing ministry of Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas. It became an independent nonprofit in 2002 and now provides meals and groceries, dental care, mental health services and other resources for residents navigating hardship.

Many residents know Samaritan through its secondhand stores. The nonprofit operates a thrift store in Rogers and a bargain-bin store in Springdale, along with Warehouse479, a more upscale vintage resale brand. Proceeds from the stores support its programs.

Samaritan operates two cafés that provide free lunch three days a week: one in Rogers and a smaller location in Springdale. Together, they serve 650 to 750 meals each day they are open.

Each location also has a Samaritan Market. Set up like small grocery stores, the markets allow families to choose their own groceries, including fresh produce and frozen meats, rather than receiving a prepacked box.

During the summer, much of the produce served in the cafés and offered in the markets comes from Samaritan’s farm, which began as a small garden and now covers 3.5 acres.

Beyond its on-site food programs, the nonprofit also supports children across Northwest Arkansas through school-based initiatives. During the upcoming school year, its SnackPacks program will provide kid-friendly snacks each week to 4,200 at-risk students across 160 schools and Head Start programs in four counties.

With its broader focus on education and caring for the whole person, Samaritan Community Center aims to meet immediate needs while also helping families build more stable futures.

Counseling has long been part of the nonprofit’s mission, though the program paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened two years ago and now serves both children and adults. The organization is working to expand the program and hire bilingual therapists.

Samaritan has also provided dental services since 2014. Donations helped outfit its dental clinic with new equipment three years ago. Along with treatment, the clinic places a strong emphasis on educating patients about oral hygiene.

Dental Director Jill Self-Pike said the clinic’s ability to connect patients with a broader network of support services allows its staff to care for the whole person rather than just their dental needs. She said that approach is ultimately about improving long-term outcomes for families.

“We really try to change that trajectory,” Self-Pike said. “And it’s amazing, because you do see such a difference, and you hear people say, okay, now that I know this, I’m not going to let this happen to my kids.”

Samaritan has also become a hub where other nonprofit organizations offer services such as legal aid, job training, and budgeting and life-skills classes.

For needs beyond what Samaritan can provide on-site, care navigators can help connect people with other community resources.

The nonprofit’s resale shops generate around 40% of its funding. Other funding comes from corporate sponsorships, grants and donations.

Samaritan has 100 employees, around two-thirds of whom work at its thrift stores. The nonprofit also relies heavily on volunteers.

“We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers,” Rambo said. “The reality is, this isn’t the work of 100 staff people. This is the work of 350 people that are here serving in some capacity every week, not to mention the people that come in groups and serve once.”