Samaritan Ministries

What Samaritan Ministries does

Samaritan Ministries is a 501(c)(3) interdenominational Christian nonprofit founded in 1980 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, operating a portfolio of social services programs for hungry and homeless residents of Forsyth County. The organization's core programs are the Soup Kitchen (serving 124,446 meals in 2025), the Samaritan Inn emergency shelter (26,374 nights of shelter for over 480 men in 2025, with 80 beds plus 4 beds for sick guests), and Project Cornerstone, a long-term residential recovery program for men battling addiction and homelessness that has helped 239 men achieve self-sufficiency since 1995. It also runs Young Samaritans, a youth engagement program that involves the next generation in the ministry's mission. The ministry is rooted in a faith-based mission drawn from Matthew 25:35 and delivers all services free of charge to recipients.

The organization operates from a 20,000 sq ft facility at 414 E. Northwest Blvd., built in 2014 after a $4.1 million capital campaign, replacing a 13,000 sq ft facility. Its 2025 volunteer base of 2,238 individuals contributed 29,771 hours of service, indicating that the operating model is heavily volunteer-augmented. The paid staff is lean (approximately 7 employees across executive, finance, clinical, shelter, soup kitchen, development, marketing, volunteer coordination, and data functions), with several part-time roles spanning shelter monitoring, soup kitchen assistance, and reception.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of donations (individual and major gifts), signature fundraising events (SAM & Eggs, Tour de Llama, Souper Bowl, Penny Campaign), interdenominational church support, corporate and foundation grants, government funding, and civic organization support. The organization does not charge beneficiaries: cost per meal is $3.25 and cost per night of shelter is $45.11. Distribution is purely direct service delivery through the physical facility, with no digital product, app, or channel-based revenue. Geographic reach is restricted to Forsyth County, NC.

Name

Samaritan Ministries

Legal name

Samaritan Ministries

Website

https://samaritanforsyth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Samaritan Ministries is a 501(c)(3) interdenominational Christian nonprofit in Winston-Salem, NC that provides meals, emergency shelter, and long-term recovery services to homeless and food-insecure individuals in Forsyth County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless & Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (624210), Temporary Shelters (624221), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Soup kitchen services
• Emergency homeless shelter
• Addiction recovery program
• Faith-based nonprofit
• Community social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Winston-Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Gifts: Individual donors and major gift contributors provide charitable contributions to support operations. The ministry is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
2. Special Events: Annual fundraising events including SAM & Eggs, Tour de Llama, Souper Bowl, and Penny Campaign generate revenue while raising community awareness.
3. Church and Civic Support: Interdenominational Christian ministry receives support from churches and civic organizations in the Winston-Salem community.
4. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Revenue received from corporations and foundations as charitable grants and sponsorships.
5. Government Funding: Revenue received from government sources to support shelter and meal programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Samaritan Ministries is a 501(c)(3) interdenominational Christian nonprofit that operates a daily soup kitchen, an emergency men's shelter, and a long-term residential addiction recovery program for homeless men in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. All services are provided free of charge to recipients and supported through donations, church partnerships, corporate and foundation grants, and government funding.

Product overview

Samaritan Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit interdenominational Christian ministry that operates a portfolio of social service programs. The organization provides food, shelter, and hope through three core programs: the Soup Kitchen serving daily meals, the Samaritan Inn emergency shelter for homeless men, and Project Cornerstone long-term residential recovery. These programs work together to address immediate needs (food and shelter) while supporting long-term self-sufficiency through addiction recovery. The organization also engages youth through Young Samaritans and facilitates volunteer and donation opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soup Kitchen Free daily meal program serving food-insecure community members in Winston-Salem, NC. Operates Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and Sunday noon-2 p.m. Served 124,446 meals in 2025 from a 96-seat dining room.
• Samaritan Inn Free emergency overnight shelter for men experiencing homelessness in Forsyth County. Check-in 6-7 p.m. seven nights a week. Provides 80 shelter beds plus 4 beds for sick guests; provided 26,374 nights of shelter to 480 men in 2025.
• Project Cornerstone Long-term residential addiction recovery program serving men experiencing homelessness and addiction at the Samaritan Ministries campus. Combines housing, counseling, and life-skills support; 239 men have completed the program and become self-sufficient since 1995.
• Young Samaritans Youth engagement program designed to involve young people in Samaritan Ministries' mission of serving the Winston-Salem community through volunteerism and outreach.

Quantifiable outcome

• 239 men have completed the Cornerstone program and become self-sufficient
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Charlotte Rescue Mission: A larger faith-based rescue mission operating soup kitchen, men's shelter, and long-term recovery programs in Charlotte, NC — same service model, same region, same faith-based approach as Samaritan Ministries.
• Winston-Salem Rescue Mission: The most direct comparable — a faith-based shelter, soup kitchen, and recovery program operating in the same Winston-Salem/Forsyth County market with a near-identical service portfolio targeting homeless men.
• Denver Rescue Mission: A larger faith-based nonprofit operating a soup kitchen, men's shelter, and long-term New Life Program recovery — same three-pillar service architecture as Samaritan Ministries, but at greater scale in a different city.
• Room In The Inn (Nashville): Faith-based interdenominational ministry providing emergency shelter, meals, and recovery services in Nashville with a heavy volunteer model — directly analogous operating model to Samaritan Ministries.
• Hope of the Valley (San Fernando Valley): A California faith-rooted nonprofit operating a soup kitchen, emergency shelter, and recovery program for men experiencing homelessness — closely analogous three-pillar service model with strong volunteer engagement.
• Crisis Control Ministry: Referenced in Samaritan Ministries' founding history, Crisis Control Ministry provides emergency assistance (food, shelter, prescriptions) to Forsyth County residents in crisis — a same-market faith-based emergency services peer.

Regional players

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC: Regional food bank distributing meals across Northwest North Carolina including Forsyth County — comparable food-assistance mission though operating a wholesale/distribution model rather than direct-service soup kitchen.

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army of Winston-Salem: A national faith-based social services incumbent that operates emergency shelter, food programs, and addiction recovery in the same Winston-Salem market — broader portfolio but overlapping services.

Emerging players

• Family Promise of Forsyth County: A smaller local nonprofit addressing family homelessness in Forsyth County — adjacent target population (families vs. men only) and same geography, making it a thematic peer for service-line expansion.
• Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC: A workforce-development nonprofit operating in the same region with overlapping recovery-to-employment pathways; comparable in that Project Cornerstone's self-sufficiency outcomes align with Goodwill's mission, though their primary focus is job training rather than shelter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@samaritanministries9482
• Facebookfacebook.com/samaritanforsyth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samaritan-ministries-forsyth-county
• Instagraminstagram.com/samaritanministrieswsnc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Samaritan Ministries