Update on Samaritan Home Relief

Samaritan Children's Home in Sri Lanka. photo provided Funds have begun coming in to the Samaritan Home Relief Fund set up at Bank of the Cascades in Sisters.

Samaritan Home Relief has obtained 501(c)(3) non-profit status, making contributions to the fund tax-deductible.

The organization now has a website at www.samaritanchildrenshome.org.

The Gazette in Montgomery County, Maryland reports that: "As of Monday, Diyana Sanders and her husband, sister, and mother had raised $30,000 for Samaritan Home Relief, a nonprofit they started last week.

"Dayalan Sanders is now living in a very small mission house with the children and workers.

"'They couldn't take all 28 of the children because it's very small,' Diyana Sanders said. 'So eight of the children are with (their) extended family.'"

"'My brother is looking for a large enough place to bring all the kids together' she said.

"Restoring the orphanage will be a difficult task, especially without electricity, and is expected to take six months. So far, 24-hour rain has hampered efforts to begin cleaning the orphanage."