SALVATION ARMY IN NEED OF FOOD
Elyria Salvation Army Office Manager / Program Coordinator Holli Rice said that the Salvation Army is in SEVERE need of help. “We have tripled the amount of emergency food that we’re passing out right now. We use to do 125 families a month where they would receive emergency food, now we are doing about 25 to 30 families each day.”In May the Salvation Army has a food drive based out of the Post Office, that drive took in 25 tons of food and would normally last until November when the holiday food donations start coming in. Rice said that at this point they have about 2 weeks of food left. “We have a real serious problem; we are serving a record number of people for utility and hot meals.” Rice said that even the numbers of hot meals served is up about 300 a month. “We use to serve 1,000 hot meals a month out of this building and now that number is up to 1,300 hot meals a month.”
Rice said that it’s more then just food that is in demand, items such as shampoo, tooth paste and toilet paper that people are in need of as well. Rice spoke about a woman who went into the Salvation Army last Friday and told her that she has two daughters, has a job where she earns $10.00 an hour but fells like she is falling behind each week and doesn’t know what to do.
Rice believes the local economy has a lot to do with the recent increase in requests for assistance. “When you are paying 3 something for a gallon of gas, 2 dollars for a loaf of bread and 3 dollars for a gallon of milk, something has got to give somewhere. People on fixed incomes and seniors are most at risk right now.”
The Salvation Army is asking for the following items: Peanut Butter, Jelly, Soup, Ravioli, Raman Noodles, Jell-O, packs of snack crackers for kids lunch boxes or if you would like you can cut a check to the Salvation Army and earmark it for “emergency food” and they will do the shopping for you.
Rice said that in all her years at the Elyria Salvation Army the people of Elyria have never let her down. “Anytime we have asked the people of Elyria for help, anytime that we have been in a crisis situation like we are right now, the people of Elyria have always come through for us. We expect that they will again when they learn how dire the situation really is.”
You may drop off donations to the Elyria Salvation Army at 716 West Ave.
posted by TMC NEWS at 3:19 PM
6 Comments:
Could the Salvation Army tell us who is eligible to receive food at their location in Elyria?
Is this just for Elyria or does it benefit Lorain people too?
I think anonymous has a great question....I am sure TMC News can follow up with an answer for us!
In the mean time, I will be checking my cupboards for any extras I may have that fit the list. We have it bad, but there is always someone who unfortunately has it worse.
If you contact the Salvation Army they will inform you of the questions. Lorain has a branch too.
The reason I question who is eligible is because I've heard they turn down many people who are in need of food. Apparently they only service a certain area, sending clients to other food pantries. There are food pantries who serve ALL of Lorain County and that is where I prefer to donate my food items. I would like TMC to do a follow up and get accurate information.
Each Salvation Army facility services a certain "zip code(s)". If you need assistance, or would like to donate in the Lorain area, there is a facility located on W.25th and Broadway Ave. As a volunteer at one of the service units, I understand the frustration of someone trying to receive assistance. Usually, if someone is in need of assistance, the client will contact us first to find out if they are eligible. A few quick questions are asked(name, zip code, what assistance is needed). This first step provides the necessary information to: Set up an appointment to provide assistance -or- give them the contact information to other service units or organizations that may be able to assist. You may agree... or not, but most organizations (not just the SA), that provide assistance to those in need keep records of those that have been helped. To help as many clients as possible, it is necessary to place a "limit" on how often each client is assisted. Each SA is unique in that they offer different services. As an example, many of the Corps have "food banks", while others give "food vouchers" to area grocery stores. There are MANY other services that are available also!! I wish that there was an endless supply of money to help EVERYONE that requests it, but this is not the reality! I am not an "official spokesperson" for the SA, but I just would like to get the word out that it is a great organization to be involved with.....they are always looking for volunteers!!
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