Years ago, when Rebecca Hobbs first received a check from the Female Samaritans Association, she was confused. Hobbs is the co-executive director of Through These Doors, the domestic violence resource center in Cumberland County. She was still new to the organization, but she had never heard of this group before.

Were they new?

Not so much. The Female Samaritans Association formed in 1828 and is one of the oldest charitable organizations in the country. Hobbs learned that the Samaritans were consistent and dependable philanthropists, unknown to many because that’s how they like it. The gifts they make to nonprofits in Greater Portland are typically less than $500, but the unrestricted funds have over the years helped Through These Doors pay for taxi rides, bus tickets and hotel rooms for women and children fleeing abuse.

On Saturday, Hobbs joined a celebratory tea for the association’s 195th anniversary and was quick to correct a member who described their donations as “small.”

“I don’t think they are small,” Hobbs said. “They make a huge difference.”

The 30 or so members gathered over the weekend at Cressey Road Christian Church in Gorham. They sipped tea, chatted with their friends and snacked on chicken salad sandwiches.

The event was less about their latest milestone and more about their mission. President Mary Senore of Westbrook greeted the members but devoted most of her time at the podium to reading the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Bible, a story about a man who helps a stranger beaten by robbers and left on the side of the road. “Go and do likewise,” Jesus advises.

“And that’s what is our mission for the Female Samaritans,” Senore said.

In 1828, just eight years after Maine became a state, Mercy Ruggles Bisbee formed what was first known as the Female Samaritan Society. She was 26 years old and married to the Rev. John Bisbee, pastor of the First Universalist Church in Portland. The young woman saw that city’s churches took care of the poor inside their own communities but did not reach everyone. She organized women into a sewing circle to make clothing and garments for the poor. She would go on to become the first woman admitted to the American Institute of Homeopathy. She taught at the Boston University School of Medicine and was a vocal advocate for women to be admitted into the practice of medicine.

“She looked around and felt the need for an organization to care for and administer for the physical needs of poor outside of the church,” Bobby Gray of Gorham said.

While the Female Samaritans haven’t broadcast their history, Gray knows it better than anyone. She started attending meetings as a child with her mother, who later enlisted her as the group’s historian. (“My dad used to say she was a professional volunteer, and she worked more hours than he did,” Gray said with a laugh.) Now 76, Gray worked for years as a research librarian at the University of New England, so she was suited to the task and has preserved the association’s story dating back to its founding documents.

She said the Female Samaritans sent clothing and supplies to Union soldiers during the Civil War and survivors of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. During World War I and II, they set up a workshop in the Congress Square Church in Portland to help the war efforts. They also created a network across Portland to field requests for aid for individuals and families.

From the early days, anonymity has been important. The members did not want to cause humiliation to anyone in need or attract attention to themselves.

“People were quietly being helped and receiving the help of a friend,” Gray said.

In the 1950s, the Samaritans saw the increase in charitable organizations and government programs to help low-income people. Today, the organization primarily works through local nonprofits. Throughout the year, case managers can call the Samaritans with a request for aid for a client of up to $300. The group also invites speakers from those agencies to its meetings and gives annual donations of up to $500. Their bylaws limit their scope to requests in Portland, South Portland, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth and Westbrook. Organizations supported in the past include the Opportunity Alliance, the Salvation Army, the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, Partners for World Health, Through These Doors, the Root Cellar, Grace-Street Ministry and local food pantries.

“They’re really rooted in the community,” said Jesse Senore, who volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen and learned about the organization through his wife.

Debbie Strout, who just ended her term as president, said donations in the past year added up to more than $15,000. Decades ago, the Samaritans hosted card parties and other fundraisers during the year, but now most of the revenue comes from donations, legacies and bequests. Dues are just $3 a year. Strout is the person who takes the calls from agencies with individual requests throughout the year.

“There’s certainly people in need,” she said. “I feel that we’re doing something. People are desperate, and they need something.”

Most of those asks this year came from the Opportunity Alliance, and Strout said the Samaritans made 11 donations to its clients. Val Fitzgerald is the coordinator for the Cumberland County Homelessness Prevention Program there, which helps people find or maintain their housing. For 25 years, she has been able to call the Samaritans when she needs a little extra money for a client beyond what her budget can provide.

“They have been an anonymous helper to so many who have needed assistance over the years,” Fitzgerald wrote in an email. “They are kind, understanding and helpful each time I reach out.”

Margaret Haverty of Gorham, the treasurer, said she hopes their donations can at least help people with the little things they need amid big challenges in their lives.

“They are hopefully something that will tide them over,” she said.

House Majority Leader Maureen Terry, who lives in Gorham, joined the women at the tea and presented a certificate from the state in recognition of their work.

“Mercy Bisbee saw the need in her community that was not being met, and she took action,” Terry said. “That sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of our neighbors is what I admire most about the work that you all do.”

The Female Samaritan Association doesn’t have a website or a social media presence, and new members are typically invited by friends already in the group. Many of the members are senior citizens, and recruitment of younger members is a priority for the future. (“I’m bringing somebody in November,” Dee Cordeiro of Portland, 90, said. “She’s 62.”) Those interested in joining can contact Senore at (207) 252-8944.

“We would like to bring in some younger people to whom this might appeal and keep it going through 200 and 225,” said Gray.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

New enrollment numbers show expected growth at Maine community colleges

Next »

Former state lawmakers hope to become Biddeford’s next mayor