In 1989 Samaritan House, an outreach of Fellowship Bible Church of NWA, was started in Rogers to provide clothing to the poor in the community. The founders were quickly inundated with donated clothing that exceeded the capacity of the initial space and a decision was made to transition to a food pantry instead. Over the next 10 years, the ministry outgrew two additional locations until it located in a small commercial shopping center on Hudson Road where it served 50-60 families each week.

A core group of volunteers/supporters soon began to dream about the possibility of expanding beyond a food pantry to become a ministry focusing on the whole person body, mind, spirit. A strategic plan was developed and in June 2002, with the blessing of ourfounding church, the name was changed fromSamaritan HousetoSamaritan Community Center, and we became an independent, 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization.

As a show of support for SCC, Fellowship purchased the former Hudson Foods hatchery complex on Hudson Road in Rogers, remodeled it and gifted the facility to us in 2003.That same year Debbie Rambo, who had been volunteering at Samaritan House alongside her husband for many years, was hired as the first Executive Director of Samaritan Community Center, a position she still holds today.

Since 2002 our organization has grown to include multiple programs and locations, including a Springdale operations center opened in 2004, and two Samaritan Shop resale stores, located in Rogers and Springdale, that provide financial support to our overall center operations.

The Samaritan Community Center operates using a team management philosophy. In addition to the Senior Leadership Team of Debbie Rambo (Executive Director) each program is operated utilizing a paid staff coordinator to oversee program operations and coordination of our more than 400 regularly scheduled volunteers. Our governing board consists of 10 members from across Northwest Arkansas including pastors, business leaders, and civic-minded individuals.

It has been such a blessing to watch how God has worked over the last 19 years, says Executive Director Debbie Rambo. His timing has been perfect as we have seen amazing things happen from exponential growth in financial support, volunteer support, and programs we have been able to offer the public. When I think of how we have grown from serving those initial 50-60 families each week in Rogers to serving that many families each day in both Rogers and Springdale, I am humbled at how HE has guided and grown this ministry.

Our ultimate goal is to live out thosecore values of doing justly and loving mercy while walking humbly with Him. We want our client families to know love and feel love when they come to the Samaritan Community Center. Nothing warms my heart more than to have someone tell me that this place is SO different!

Since 1999 the Samaritan Community Center has provided thousands of free backpacks filled with grade-appropriate school supplies to area children, going into grades K-12, in late summer before the start of the new school year.

In response to the growing crisis and connection between poverty and obesity, Samaritan Market has developed a Healthy Foods Initiative that focuses on improving the overall nutritional quality of the food available within the Market.

Serving uninsured adults who cannot afford to purchase dental care, our clinic utilizes both volunteer and staff dentists, hygienists and oral surgeons to provide a full range of dental services to our patients.