Shelby Township Police Sgt. Kevin Bailey and Deputy Clerk Craig Cowper load up the donations that the Shelby Township Giving Tree program collected during the holidays for delivery to Samaritan House in Washington Township.
By: Kara Szymanski | Shelby-Utica News | Published January 20, 2025
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Thanks to the community’s donations, the Shelby Township Giving Tree collected more than 2,900 items for Samaritan House.
On Jan. 14, led by Township Clerk Stanley Grot, staff from Township Hall and the Shelby Township Police Department gathered at Township Hall to load vehicles with donations collected through the Giving Tree program. From there, they drove to Samaritan House to unload the donations and formally present them to the Samaritan House team.
The Giving Tree program is an annual tradition in Shelby Township. Each holiday season it brings together the community to support local families in need by collecting nonperishable food items, household goods and personal care items. For the 10th consecutive year, Shelby Township officials and residents kicked off the new year by helping their neighbors.
Lynde Oddo, the township’s deputy supervisor, said that since its inception in 2015, Shelby Township employees and residents have collected nearly 24,000 items for Samaritan House.
“The Giving Tree is a program we all look forward to so we can give back to the community. The need in our community doesn’t end with the holidays. The purpose of our giving tree is to restock the shelves at Samaritan House for the new year and help provide vital resources to those served by their program. When speaking with Kathy Wojcik, the executive director of Samaritan House, she stated that as quickly as food and donations come in their doors, they leave just as quick, reiterating the absolute need. We plan to continue this tradition, so be sure to keep an eye out for the Samaritan House wish list next December,” she said.
Wojcik said that with the rising cost of everything, all the donations they received were amazing.
“As soon as the donations come in, they go back out. We rely on the support of our communities. This year’s donation count nearly doubled the collection from 2023.
“Without the support of Shelby Township residents and all our communities, we could not do what we do. We support more than 250 families a month now, so the support means more than ever. Since the pandemic, it just seems like the need is greater and greater, so we’re very grateful for the support of our communities,” she said.