{"id":2913,"date":"2020-07-21T16:04:55","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T20:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2913"},"modified":"2020-07-21T16:07:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T20:07:13","slug":"inspire-mary-beth-frey-executive-director-the-samaritan-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2913","title":{"rendered":"Inspire: Mary Beth Frey, Executive Director, The Samaritan Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Compassion, care and community during crisis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Alyssa Dearborn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo by Ana Gil Photography<\/strong><\/p>\n

If there is one thing that Covid-19 has taught us, it is that there will always be a need for compassion, care, and community. Despite fear, people still need to be shown compassion. When most people are preoccupied with caring for themselves, others still need to be cared for. And while social distancing has become an essential aspect of these times, it has not lessened the need for a sense of community. Even during a pandemic, these needs still preoccupy the Samaritan Center and its executive director, Mary Beth Frye.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of the most beautiful parts of the Samaritan Center is that we try to ensure each decision we make is grounded in our mission: how we can best serve our guests.\u201d Frye stated when asked about the challenges of a pandemic world, \u201cAs we saw the pandemic approaching our community, our primary goal was to ensure that services could continue as best possible throughout what was likely to be an incredibly stressful period for those we serve and for our entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like other organizations around the country, the Samaritan Center has had to adapt to a new normal, making adjustments for everyone\u2019s safety. These adjustments included switching their services to a take-out style service, requiring all guests and employees to wear masks, and ensuring that social distancing remains constant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin a Covid environment,\u201d Frye explained, \u201cwe understood quickly that the meals we offered needed to be take-out. Our beautiful dining room would need to be shut down and our meal distribution would need to be fast and efficient to maintain limited contact, be operational with a limited number of volunteers, and promote social distancing within the facility. Samaritan has been able to retain its staff of nine throughout the pandemic with two employees working from home and our volunteers are gradually returning as the community opens back up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though safety and addressing the logistics of adjusting to pandemic life has been of the upmost importance, it became just as important to address the emotional wellbeing of the Center\u2019s guests.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say the more difficult adjustments were in our engagement and support of our guests,\u201d Frye said. \u201cSamaritan Center is a place where individuals find a community kitchen table, a place to connect, feel supported, find a hug in celebration or grief, share victories and challenges with a chosen family of support-staff, volunteers, and fellow guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stress and isolation of the pandemic on a population that already struggles with social isolation has been particularly hard,\u201d she continued, \u201cand the sadness of our guests as they attempt to navigate a closed world was palpable. We have done our best to create moments of connection: remembering to check in with guests whose moms were sick with Covid or whose health was just a worry to an adult son; a phone call or note to a guest in assisted living who can no longer get out to see us; sharing the sadness of a world changed, if only in brief interactions; being there with a smile, even if behind a mask. The sadness has begun to lift as the hope of reopening moves through our city. The challenge now will be helping folks put the pieces back together.\u201d<\/p>\n

A part of what helps the Center retain that sense of community is through their helpful network of volunteers. Though the Center has been forced to decrease its volunteer numbers on site, the same volunteers who were there before found ways to help from home.<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside of the center itself,\u201d Frye said, \u201cthere have been untold numbers of volunteers sewing masks for our guests, collecting wish list items in support of operations, collecting hand sanitizer, sending donations and notes of encouragement. Their faith in us and their generosity towards those we serve warms my heart daily and I am humbled by their kindness of spirit. As the community begins to open up, we are strategizing the next phase for Samaritan and how to best bring back our full family of volunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the nature of her work is much more strenuous during more stressful times, Frye stills feels blessed that she gets make a meaningful, community impact. When asked about the most rewarding aspect of her job, she explained,<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a bit of magic that occurs at the Samaritan Center. If you have never experienced it, it takes only a day of volunteering to know that there is something very special that happens through the organization. It is a true community of individuals who find connection in their fundamental humanity. Whether guest, volunteer, or staff-person, each recognizes that we are there to walk beside each other and support each other as best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Samaritan Center is a special place and resource for our community, and it represents a mission that\u2014as Frye states\u2014”pulls at the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFundamental at Samaritan Center is that everyone has a fundamental right to food, connection, and dignity. It is a clear and simple mission overlaid with compassion and kindness. It is a place that knows the power of a warm meal cooked with love on a cold day. Samaritan Center is a place where you are reminded daily that your ability to positively impact another human being can be as simple as a smile, a dry pair of socks on a rainy day, a look in the eye that says \u2018I see you.\u2019 It is a place where we, as a community, support the best in each other and say no one is alone. How could your heart not be pulled?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Compassion, care and community during crisis By Alyssa Dearborn Photo by Ana Gil Photography If there is one thing that Covid-19 has taught us, it is that there will always be a need for compassion, care, and community. Despite fear, people still need to be shown compassion. When most people are preoccupied with caring for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[1128,1127],"class_list":["post-2913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-mary-beth-frye","tag-samaritan-center"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mary-beth-frye-web.jpg?fit=1440%2C1026&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1909,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1909","url_meta":{"origin":2913,"position":0},"title":"Renee Duffy","author":"Staff","date":"June 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Food for a Cause\u00a0 By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Mary Grace Johnson\u00a0 A little more than seven years ago, self-proclaimed foodies Renee and Tim Duffy were sitting with local chef Kevin Gentile, pitching him an idea that would eventually become Philanthropic Foodies, the annual event that\u2019s raised more than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ReneeSWM-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ReneeSWM-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ReneeSWM-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ReneeSWM-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ReneeSWM-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2684,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2684","url_meta":{"origin":2913,"position":1},"title":"INSPIRE: Mary Lou Sayles, Executive Director, Huntington Family Center","author":"Sarah Hall","date":"October 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Mary Lou Sayles isn\u2019t the kind of executive director to lock herself away in her office and busy herself with paperwork while people need help outside her door. \u201cI am a firm believer [in the idea that if] you help one person, that\u2019s a good day,\u201d said Sayles, who heads\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Causes"","block_context":{"text":"Causes","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=104"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/1568755110-529064-fullsizeoutput-10b61.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/1568755110-529064-fullsizeoutput-10b61.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/1568755110-529064-fullsizeoutput-10b61.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/1568755110-529064-fullsizeoutput-10b61.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2662,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2662","url_meta":{"origin":2913,"position":2},"title":"INSPIRE: Beth Trunfio, Ronald McDonald House","author":"Staff","date":"November 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alyssa Dearborn \u00a0 Beth Trunfio\u2019s fingerprints are everywhere at the Ronald McDonald House in Syracuse. 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