The worn flag inside the Good Samaritan Thrift Store sells for $3.50. While the pole is missing the mounted eagle, the Stars and Stripes, still dappled with red, white and blue, is a steal for any front porch patriot.

The Good Samaritan has come a long way since 2000, the year it opened the doors of its Montana Avenue thrift store, where it sells used items and applies the proceeds toward a number of social programs run by the ministry.

This year, there's a palpable cheer hanging over the Good Samaritan. Donations are up and the staff has found innovative ways to make money, ranging from eBay to fashion shows. New outreach efforts have also brought as many as 27 other organizations closer together around the city, from Helena Food Share to the Low Income Energy Assistance Program.

But while the money and donations coming into the Good Samaritan are up, so too is the need for assistance. Gas prices and heating bills, coupled with the general cost of living, have hit some pockets harder than others.

Between July 2006 and April 2007, the Good Samaritan Ministry provided $95,000 in cash assistance to 850 people in the tri-county region. The money went to pay utility bills, buy medication, cover car insurance, and provide minor automotive repairs.

What's more, the thrift store also gave more than $37,000 in assistance by providing furniture, clothing and food to nearly 1,000 people.

"The cost of living is going up," said Theresa Ortega, director of the Good Samaritan. "Gas prices have hit people hard. The need for assistance is going to keep going up as well."

It's the middle of the day in the middle of the week and the Good Samaritan Thrift Store is hopping with shoppers. Old furniture, worn shoes, used skirts and ties -- it's a relative flea market offering something for everyone.

Beyond the retail floor, through a nondescript back door, an army of volunteers and paid employees keep the store running. They work in the warehouse, sifting through towering piles of discarded items. Used radios and old lights are tested at the electronics station. A fur coat hangs in vintage clothing waiting to be priced. Over in holiday decorations, a faded plastic Santa sits beside a heralding angel on a giant pile of wreaths, trees and lights.

At the remnant corner, employee Judy Harris prepares swatches of fabric. The material -- patches of color and texture -- are popular for making quilts.

"I really like working with material," Harris said, folding the swatches into tight little squares. "I like to make it so it looks attractive to a customer. I want to see things that are well taken care of."

Twenty-seven paid employees and an army of volunteers keep the retail store running. Some volunteers are here because they want to be. Some, Ortega said, are serving community service. Others are here for vocational training.

MRC Employment Services, a vocational training program run by Maggie Carlson, works in concert with the Good Samaritan. As many as 70 people, most looking to hone their remedial job skills, pass through the Good Samaritan's warehouse each year. Around 90 percent of them, Carlson said, successfully re-enter the work force.

"My customers often arrive with a variety of barriers to employment," Carlson said. "I help them create applications and résumés, and prepare for interviews. I train them on the job site and how to interact with coworkers."

Since November, more than 570 volunteers have logged 6,370 hours at the Good Samaritan. The center's paid employees start at $6.50 an hour. They enjoy a host of benefits that include health and retirement offered through the Helena Diocese.

"A lot of folks who work here have never had insurance before, and aren't sure what to make of it when they get it," Ortega said. "We hope people will eventually move on to other jobs. When they do leave, they always take something away from here."

Ortega calls the warehouse operation "the Good Samaritan's back door business." Near the loading dock, an old cardboard bailer wraps unused clothing into 1,000-pound bundles. Each bundle -- which nets around 5 cents a pound -- goes to Buffalo Industries in Washington state, where the items are shipped to South America for redistribution and sale.

Last month, Ortega said with a smile, the Good Samaritan received a $3,000 check from Buffalo Industries. Money, she said, that will go a long ways in helping Helena's needy.

The Good Samaritan doesn't go the road alone.

The center works with other organizations around the Helena area, including the Helena Pre-Release Center, God's Love and the Friendship Center, which celebrated the opening of its new $2 million women's shelter last week.

While the Salvation Army in Helena failed to return numerous phone calls, other area nonprofit groups reported having a banner year as well, including Helena Food Share, where executive director Ann Waickman said donations are up.

"It seems like we've done pretty well," Waickman said. "Economically, people have been very good to us. We have a number of people who've gone to bat for this agency this year."

However, Waickman also has seen an increase in need. The organization, which works closely with the Good Samaritan, serves around 900 households per month, providing 2,200 people with food.

"It's the same story we've been hearing for so long," Waickman said. "A lot of people are working, but at jobs that don't pay enough for them to make it. A service like this helps them get through the month."

Fundraising and nonprofit growth also appears to be growing beyond Helena. Joy McGrath, director of Montana Shares, said the statewide pool of organizations saw one of the best years since its inception two decades ago.

Montana Shares, a partnership comprised of 37 nonprofit groups from around the state, collected $311,000 last year, an increase of about 14 percent.

"Donors like to direct their dollars to something they're interested in," McGrath said. "We offer a lot of choices. The donations add up and it does make a big difference. Our campaigns are growing, and we're expanding more."

Montana Shares will celebrate its 20th campaign season this year, McGrath said. Nonprofit groups involved with the agency address everything from women and families, the environment, health, hunger, arts, animals and human rights.

For Ortega, the coming together of Montana's nonprofit groups, including those in Helena that address social justice issues, can only make the organizations stronger, benefitting those who turn to the groups for help.

"We're really trying to build our connections with other nonprofits in the community," Ortega said. "We all want to enhance each other's service."

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or at mkidston@helenair.com