Good Samaritan teams up with UT to design new facility

Rusk Cares – Good Samaritan is committed to the nutritional needs of food insecure persons and families within the Rusk Independent School District. Pantry food is purchased twice a month from the East Texas Food Bank in Tyler at an average cost of about $4,300 per month. Community support allows us to do this and gets us one step closer to our goal of $50,000 needed to replenish our annual food purchasing budget by Dec. 31, 2021.
As of Oct. 12, we have reached 80 percent of our goal! As we enter the final quarter of the year, your continued support is more important than ever! Checks for our food budget can be made payable to “Good Samaritan” and mailed to PO Box 632, Rusk, TX 75785.

In Fiscal Year 2022, Rusk Cares – Good Samaritan will have double fundraising goals: Food for its pantry ($50,000) and the new facility that will be located at 245 S. Pinecrest in Rusk. The 2022 fund raising goal for the new facility is $100,000, which will be matched by a local benefactor with another $100,000 once the first $100,000 has been raised.

The University of Texas in Austin will design the facility from the ground up as part of its spring capstone engineering project. Discussions are currently underway with the University of Texas (UT) and Good Samaritan Board President Mona Burford on design criteria.
In February, the university will send staff and students to work with Rusk Cares – Good Samaritan and local officials as they assess the site for the project. At this time, the university is developing scopes of work to allow teams to partner with local mentors from different disciplines. Meanwhile, a new facility budget will be available once the capstone engineering project is complete.

Burford will continue to seek funding sources such as grants, foundations and endowments for construction funds. Good Samaritan has started a weekly on-line auction where an item will be available on Facebook for bid with proceeds of the sale going to the building fund.
Donations for the building fund can be mailed directly to Citizens 1st Bank, Attn: Good Samaritan Building Fund, P.O. Box 227, Rusk, TX 75785, or mailed to Good Samaritan at PO Box 632, Rusk, TX 75785.
Checks mailed directly to Good Samaritan should be marked for the “building fund.”