Under Fire from Many, Samaritan’s Purse Finds an Unlikely Champion

(RNS) — Whitney Tilson and his wife, Susan, were out walking their dog early one Sunday morning when they noticed workers unloading trucks and stacks of blue tarps in the East Meadow of Central Park, right outside their Fifth Avenue apartment building.

Later that afternoon, Tilson saw some white tents rising up out of the ground bearing a name he had never heard of: Samaritan’s Purse.

After learning the group was setting up a series of tents for a 68-bed field hospital to treat overflow coronavirus patients from Mount Sinai Hospital, Tilson agreed to lend a hand.

He hasn’t stopped since.

In the course of the past four weeks, Tilson, who is not religious and had never heard of Franklin Graham, the conservative Christian leader of Samaritan’s Purse, has become one of the field hospital’s most dedicated volunteers and champions.

He’s befriended many of the staff, donated shovels and sleds to help spread 2 tons of mulch across the muddy lawn in between the tents, and gifted thousands of dollars worth of bananas, apples, Starbucks Frappuccinos, soda, potato chips and other snacks to those looking after the sick.

“It’s an incredibly impressive organization,” said Tilson, 53, a retired hedge fund manager who writes an investment newsletter. “I have no doubt they are delivering world-class critical care to my fellow New Yorkers stricken with COVID-19. Every single person I’ve…