By Loretta Fulton

It started, like most great things do, with a desire to help.

It was the spring of 1999 and Hurricane Mitch, the deadliest hurricane in Central American history, had left 7,000 dead in Honduras and another 3,800 in Nicaragua. That devastation moved Andrew Kelly and some of his classmates in a missions class at Abilene Christian University to want to help. 

“How do we provide hope to these people?” was the question on their minds.

They figured out a way and secured an old grocery store to stockpile donated items. They contacted Chiquita Bananas in Houston and enlisted their aid in shipments. They got assistance from Helping Hands International (HHI), based in Nashville. 

And then they met David Catalina, who shared the dream with Dr. Ed Enzor. Together, the group opened HHI-West, with Enzor as the first executive director and Catalina as the first warehouse manager. 

David Catalina, left, accepts a plaque from Andrew Kelly during a luncheon celebrating the 25th anniversary of Global Samaritan Resources. Photo by Loretta Fulton

Another giant step was taken in 2006, when application was made to the IRS for 501c3 status. In 2008, the current location on North First Street was obtained, with its 55,000 square-foot warehouse and office space. Ironically, the building was the original campus of Abilene Christian University, then known as Childers Classical Institute, and later was a production and distribution center for Coca-Cola. 

It has been 25 years since a missions class at ACU conceived of a way to help people they didn’t know. On Tuesday, March 5, those 25 years were celebrated with a luncheon at the Abilene Convention Center. Today the organization is known as Global Samaritan Resources, and Kelly, one of the students in that 1998 missions class, is the executive director. Kelly gave a brief history of Global Samaritan Resources, plus a rundown of what Global Samaritan is doing now. A highlight of the luncheon was a presentation of the Ed Enzor Global Servant Award to Catalina “for his vision, dedication and years of service, in the name of Jesus, to the hurting and need around the globe.” 

“We wouldn’t be the organization we are today if it wasn’t for this man,” Kelly said in presenting a plaque to Catalina.

Global Samaritan Resources celebrated 25 years with a luncheon March 5 at the Abilene Convention Center. Photo by Loretta Fulton

Global Samaritan Resources is well known for its disaster response around the world, Kelly said, but what people may not know is that GSR also ships ambulances, appliances, water well systems, even boats to places in need. When Hardin-Simmons University upgraded its exercise equipment, Global Samaritan shipped the old equipment to Ukraine for a rehab hospital. Abilene Christian University donated used furniture when it upgraded. 

“We’re able to think outside the box,” Kelly said. 

Global Samaritan has a motto,”Around the Globe. Around the Corner.” The local part of Global Samaritan takes on several forms. In January, GSR donated 1,000 stuffed animals to local law enforcement to give to children in traumatic situations. A community book room is open once a month in the warehouse for local distribution. A teacher resource center also is available in the warehouse and a nonprofit resource center is in the works. All of that local aid is coupled with Global Samaritan Resources’ ongoing aid to other parts of the world–part of the vision that the ACU students and David Catalina had back in 1999.

“I believe our greatest calling in life is to help each other,” Kelly said.

Since its inception, Global Samaritan Resources has shipped 156 containers worldwide, filled with food, school furniture, educational materials, medical supplies and equipment, farm implements, and more. In addition, GSR has shipped hundreds of pallets of aid to other countries. In 2023 alone, Global Samaritan distributed $259,407 locally in goods and supplies and an additional $57,120 to surrounding counties. Internationally, in 2023 GSR shipped $372,735 worth of food, school furniture, medical equipment, and Christmas gifts for children. 

As a 501c3 nonprofit, Global Samaritan Resources is overseen by a board of trustees. Cheryl Purcell, assistant vice president for advancement at Hardin-Simmons University, is the current board chair. In her closing remarks, she not only expressed appreciation for what has been done but also looked to the future. 

“Here’s to another 25 years,” she said 

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene