To our Samaritans community:
You and all of the people we serve deserve our full attention and energy, especially in overwhelming and chaotic times like these, and we are committed to supporting you as best as we can. There is nothing more important to us than the safety and wellbeing of our community.
Along with many of you, Samaritans has been closely monitoring the situation around the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) including guidelines from the CDC and the MA Department of Public Health.
To ensure safety and encourage social distancing, we have made some temporary changes to our programs and events.
24/7 Crisis Services
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and confused, please know that you are not alone. Our Helpline remains open 24/7 for calls and texts at 877-870-4673. Our incredible Helpline volunteers will be working remotely to answer the calls and texts from people who are struggling.
Grief Support Services
To help contain the spread of COVID-19, effective immediately we will be suspending all SafePlace meetings and Survivor-to-Survivor Network visits until further notice. We know how important connection is at a time like this and we are dedicated to providing a continued safe space for those bereaved by a loss to suicide to give and receive support. Our team is working to develop and implement virtual spaces for these meetings that we plan to roll out next week. Links to these meetings will be posted this weekend to the
Grief Support Services
page of our website. Please check back, as we hope you’ll join us if you’re looking for support.
Community Education & Outreach
In-person suicide prevention workshops have been suspended, and our team will instead deliver webinars in the short-term, while continuing to establish a strong schedule for the late spring and summer.
Breakfast for Hope
Boston Marathon
As you may have heard, the Boston Marathon has been postponed.
Our incredible team
is still committed to supporting Samaritans, so we hope you’ll join us in celebrating them now and cheering them on with us on the rescheduled date of September 14.
As a cautionary measure, our staff and volunteers will be completely remote for the immediate future. During this pandemic, our team will continue to find creative solutions to keep our programs and events accessible.
We anticipate an increase in the level of support we will need to provide as the uncertainty and isolation surrounding COVID-19 grows. Perhaps more than ever, we ask that you continue to
support our work
and other nonprofits who are caring for the most vulnerable in our communities right now. We also encourage you to stay connected and grounded, whether that’s by FaceTiming your loved ones, practicing meditation, being mindful about the amount of news you’re consuming, working on a craft, or any other number of healthy coping strategies for the coming days.
We are committed to keeping you informed as things develop further and truly appreciate your patience as we navigate these uncharted and challenging times. Up-to-date information will be posted on our
website
as decisions are made. We’ll be in touch soon and please feel free to reach out to us at any time. In the meantime, please stay healthy and safe.
We’re here for you and we know you’re there for us, too. Thank you.
With my gratitude,
Kathy
Kathleen C. Marchi
Executive Director & President
Samaritans, Inc.
