Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Thanks to the amazing generosity of Friends of The Samaritan Group, we received $9,080 in contributions from more than 100 donors during our recent 36 hours of online philanthropic fun—The Amazing Raise, 2014!

In addition, SGI won two $1,000 prizes offered by generous sponsors of the event. Vice chair Bill Fulton won “The Amazing Phrase” contest with his inspired tagline: Give Today. Change Tomorrow. In addition, the Samaritan Group won a second unexpected $1,000 prize for having the most donations among small organizations from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m. on Sept. 17.

All funds raised will be used to support The Samaritan Group’s mission—to provide help for Gloucester families who need assistance with financial emergencies. We have seen a significant increase in the number of requests for help in recent years. As of Sept. 1, over 300 requests for assistance have been received in 2014, involving more than 700 Gloucester residents—...