Samaritan Ministries to Start Annual Penny Campaign
Local businesses can participate in the fundraiser to support regional meal and shelter services through December.
Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Samaritan Ministries will launch its annual Penny Campaign on November 1, 2026, to fund food and shelter services in Winston-Salem. The community-wide initiative encourages donations of cash and loose change through December 31 to support the organization's soup kitchen and inn.
Why it matters
Local operators can leverage this established seasonal program to coordinate company-wide community engagement or philanthropic efforts. With one meal costing 325 pennies, the campaign provides a clear metric for firms looking to quantify the impact of small-scale corporate giving.
Samaritan Ministries served 124,446 meals and housed 480 men in 2025. The campaign operates on a unit cost of 325 pennies per meal provided at the soup kitchen.
The players
Samaritan Ministries
A Winston-Salem non-profit founded in 1981 that operates a soup kitchen and an inn shelter to support neighbors in need.
Truist Stadium
A professional sports venue located at 951 Ballpark Way that serves as the site for the centralized collection event.
The details
Businesses can participate by distributing collection jars, available starting November 2 at 414 E. Northwest Blvd, or by setting up digital fundraising pages via Sonjia's Circle. Donated funds are collected through December 31, with a centralized drive-through event hosted at Truist Stadium on December 5. These contributions directly subsidize operational costs for the organization's soup kitchen and inn shelter programs.
Timeline
November 1, 2026: The Penny Campaign begins.
November 2, 2026: Collection jars are available for pickup from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
December 5, 2026: Drive-through collection event held at Truist Stadium from 9 a.m. to noon.
December 31, 2026: The campaign concludes.
Market Landscape
This campaign follows a long-standing pattern of localized, high-volume micro-donation drives intended to mobilize broad community participation. It serves as a benchmark for how local non-profits coordinate physical logistics with digital fundraising platforms to manage seasonal demand.
Operators should review their annual charitable budget and identify if this drive-through model aligns with existing employee engagement goals. Accounting teams should verify that all donations are properly documented to maintain standard tax compliance for corporate giving.
The takeaway
The campaign highlights the effectiveness of low-barrier entry programs for driving consistent local support. Businesses should track the campaign's progress to assess how seasonal philanthropy impacts local resource availability for their own operational staff.
What happens next
Businesses interested in participating should plan to visit the collection site on November 2 to pick up materials and schedule employees for the drive-through event on December 5.
Further reading
For more information on coordinating local corporate community efforts, visit Winston-Salem philanthropy.
More information
To register for the drive-through event or access digital fundraising pages, visit the Penny Campaign information and registration.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WXII.
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