What Goes in a Samaritan Bag?

Immediate Needs
- Bottled Water
- Non-Perishable Food Items (must be heat tolerant)
- Information on local health and housing resources and transportation services

Continuing Needs
- Socks or gloves
- Personal Care items
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Basic first aid kit
- Hand sanitizing wipes
- Comb/brush
- Washcloth
- Sunscreen
- Chapstick
- Travel-size soap

Eternal Needs
- Full-size outreach Bible
- Cards with encouraging messages, prayers, or scripture
- Directions to local churches with homeless ministries, as well as who to contact for travel arrangements

Essentials and extras
- Bags to hold everything
- Masks for packers and for the bags
- Labels for the bags
How to Host A Packing Event
- Get the word out about your event. Packing events can be as small as family-sized to multi-church events. Figure out what is going to work for you and let people know.
- In the weeks leading up to your packing event, gather items to be donated. A great way of doing this is by getting your church or workplace involved. Provide a list of items that go into Samaritan Bags (toiletries, socks, small bibles, etc). If you have a few gaps in your donations, check out our shop page for our recommendations for products we like to include in Samaritan Bags.
- Establish an assembly line – it’s a good idea to make sure the items you’ve gathered fit into the bags beforehand so there’s no awkward scramble the day of.
- Get packing! Crank some music and make things fun. Designate someone to take photos that could go up on your group’s Facebook page later.
COVID-19 Addendum
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing requirements, your packing events might look a bit different than normal. Click here to see how you can modify events to keep yourself and others safe while meeting the needs of those in need.
Want to Partner With Us?
We’re glad you’re here! There are plenty of ways to get involved
Shop our Store
Grab the supplies for your next packing event from our shop page. Please note as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, but your prices never change.
Host Your Own Event
Is your office, church, or school looking for ways to give back? Contact us at 480-81-UNITY (86489), or drop us an email here. We’ll talk you through next steps.Email any questions to support@samaritanbags.com
Donate funds
You can support the Samaritan Bags program here. A $10 donation helps us pack and pass out a bag in the Phoenix area.