Serving Area Military
Honoring Active Service Members, Veterans and their Widows.
The SAM Center offers a wide range of services to assist our local Heroes. These services are provided by a 100% volunteer based staff and private donations and grants.
Honoring all service members, veterans and their widows. It is the mission of the SAM Center to honor their service and sacrifice, by providing support and hope through the love of the community.
Serving Area Military, Veterans, and Widows - SAM Center at a Glance
A Bit of Background
The SAM Center was founded in March 2015 to assist local heroes and their families. We are a community of veterans and military supporters helping each other. We formed out of the belief that we can make the lives of service members, veterans and their widows better. The SAM Center collaborates with other community agencies to ensure programs are not being duplicated, while the gap in assistance is being filled.
The SAM Center facility located in Massillon, Ohio was donated by American Legion Post 221 and remodeled by caring volunteers. Local businesses and volunteers donated all materials and services.
The continued growth and operations of the SAM Center and other programs offered by Serving Area Military are financed through private donations from individuals, civic groups, businesses and private grants.
SAM Center Programs
Serving Area Military, Veterans, and Widows - SAM Center is in the business of changing and shaping lives.
Serving Area Military, primarily through the SAM Center, offers several programs to assist our heroes. The donors and volunteers that make the assistant possible do so out of gratitude to our local military members, veterans and their families.
The Commissary / Nutrition Assistance
Providing Emergency Food Assistance
The SAM Center operates a free commissary (pantry) of non-perishable food items, meat, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, paper products and baby / toddler necessities including food and diapers.
In addition to the commissary Serving Area Military offers three-day emergency food bags that are distributed at several location throughout Northeast Ohio.
Various types of clothing are made available to clients when possible including socks, t-shirts, hats, baby / children’s items and seasonal clothing. All clothing is new.
Lodging Kits
Providing Housing Essentials
We seek to provide a basic household setup for veterans and military families facing housing struggles or transitioning from homelessness. Although they now have a roof over their heads, they still are in need of basic household items to make their house a home.
Veteran Outreach and Resources
One Step at a Time
The SAM Center works as an informational resource to help connect military / veterans to local programs and services other organizations and agencies offer, including VA benefits, PTSD information and counseling services. Staff can direct military / veterans to programs to meet their needs and provide appropriate contact information.
Veterans' Resource Fair
A Single Stop Assistance Resource
The Serving Area Military’s Veteran’s Resource Fair is a single day event for Northeast Ohio veterans. Nearly one hundred military and veteran related organizations join forces to assist our area heroes. Services include financial assistance, medical assistance, VA benefit assistance, clothing, housing and much more.
Thanksgiving Program
Helping The Community
The SAM Center with the help of our volunteers and donors help make sure that Thanksgiving is part of our Veterans Holiday season. Last year we provided 223 complete Thanksgiving packages to our Heroes that allowed them to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for nearly 1200 Veterans and their family members.
Christmas Program
Reinforcing our Commitment
Serving Area Military’s donors help our local Veterans provide Christmas gifts to the children of our Veterans. Our Heroes can come in and shop, at no charge, for gifts for their children. We need you help… .
We accept donations of new, unwrapped toys at the SAM Center during regular hours or at one of our Toy Drop Off Locations.
