Samantha Banuet, a Boundary County resident, has spent the majority of her life helping others. A wife and mother, she has been a volunteer in her community and abroad, guided by her faith and a commitment to serving those in need.  

While she has faced personal challenges, Banuet continues to find purpose through volunteering — aided by her passion for scripture. One verse that inspires her is Matthew 5:14, which speaks of being "the light of the world" and reminds believers to “stay salty”. 

“When I was 15, I started doing third world work, mission work in Honduras and Ghana,” Banuet said. “I saw kids younger than my son running around with machetes because they’re defending themselves and their families.”   

Volunteering is something that has carried Banuet through her hardest moments. 

“My husband was diagnosed with leukemia for a second time,” Banuet said. “Instead of letting it overtake us, I said, ‘Okay, it’s Thanksgiving — let’s go find a family we can help.”  

Living on the East Coast at the time, they got involved in their local food pantry as a way to give back and remind them of what is truly important. 

“It took us out of our own muck,” Banuet said. “It doesn’t really matter what’s going on in your life. Nine times out of ten, someone out there has got it harder or worse in some way.” 

Banuet’s husband has been in remission for multiple years.  

Last year, Banuet went to the Community Action Partnership, a nonprofit working to end poverty, looking to spend a day volunteering with her family. She did not realize how much work she was about to take on. 

“It was more just the three of us, asking how can we spend a Saturday with the family doing something,” Banuet said. “But I felt like it was God’s calling to really step into something that was important.” 

When CAP lost the team who had previously organized the food drive for Thanksgiving. Banuet decided to take it over and approached Liz Bigsby-Sandborn, CAP’s liaison in Bonners Ferry. 

“She ran with it,” Bigsby-Sandborn said. “She made it bigger, more beautiful. She incorporated a lot of organizations and groups to help volunteer their time and then she organized a Christmas one right after.”  

This year, Banuet has helped raise over $10,000 for locals in need for the Thanksgiving drive. 

“It has been an absolute pleasure and delight to come to know her and to be just a part of whatever she puts together for the community, because she does such a great job,” Bigsby-Sanborn said.  

Volunteering has not come without its challenges.  

“The hardest thing are the skeptics out there,” Banuet said. “There are people who don’t think that you’re doing this out of service to God or goodness.” 

In addition to her work with CAP, Banuet worked this past year as an employee with the Bonners Ferry farmer's market. During that time, she discovered that a local summer lunch program for children had been discontinued and decided to revive the program. 

“We ran it all the way through the summer,” Banuet said. “I think it was like 150 bags of food donated.” 

For Banuet, community service is essential but is something she fears could fade in an increasingly digital world. 

“It’s going to become a very selfish mindset, a very screen in face mindset and I don’t want that with my son at all,” Banuet said. “I want my child to see and know that there are other people that have it worse. To step outside of your norm and do something a little bit different, I think is really important.”