Good Samaritan Center, 108 S. Thompson Ave. Excelsior Springs, MO was started in 1986 with a group from St. Ann Catholic Church and has grown into an independent social service agency giving emergency assistance and advocacy to families and individuals in Excelsior Springs and surrounding areas. Broadway Bargains is the center's thrift store providing goods and used clothing and household items for a reasonable cost and at no cost to families who have no money. The store also provides training in job skills for workers in the Title 5 Program. Parishioners regularly bring needed food and hygiene items to the church where it is collected and brought to the center for distribution. Members also donate their time for help in sorting donated items to be sold in the Broadway Bargains thrift store.

Meet the Need Development Corporation was created in 2004 by a group of friends who had a desire to help those in need. The dream of Meet the Need, Inc.’s founders was initially funded with forty dollars from a garage sale. However, the dream needed a consistent and reliable source of funding. It was decided to open a thrift store and flea market. A suitable but affordable building at 1302 N. Jesse James Road was chosen, and Meet the Need’s thrift store opened on March 2, 2005. The ministry eventually evolved into a private 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation.

Meet the Need’s mission is to assist the working poor of Ray and Northern Clay counties in crisis situations. The following types of help are available through the Assistance Center:
● Work Assistance - fuel, work clothing, car repairs for work transportation
● Food Pantry
● Clothing/household items

Each year, a back-to-school program outfits children with new clothes, shoes, backpacks, sports equipment, and supplies provided by private donations. Likewise, private donations fill Meet The Need’s Christmas store with new toys, clothes, and other gifts, along with wrapping supplies, that help needy parents give their children a joyful Christmas. The overall mission is primarily funded by the thrift store, which is entirely staffed by volunteers.

Opportunity Cafe and Coffee, another branch of Meet The Need’s mission created in 2017, offers jobs, training, mentoring, community support, and meals to the hungry.

Meet The Need accepts donations of clothing and household goods and food for the pantry, and always seeks and appreciates volunteers.

St. Luke’s supports Meet The Need by giving to the thrift store and food pantry, and by providing volunteers.