Army provided array of aid after September 11 
Since the
terrorist attacks that killed thousands of people at the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon, The Salvation Army has been closely involved with the recovery
process of survivors in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.
Arriving within a half-hour of the first plane hitting the World
Trade Center, The Salvation Army was the first relief organization to arrive on
the scene at Ground Zero and provided extensive support for relief workers and
volunteers. The Army continued to support the recovery effort throughout the
months-long cleanup process and helped thousands of people with practical
assistance as well as spiritual and emotional care.
The
American public donated $86 million to The Salvation Army to respond to the
attacks, and the entire amount was spent on 9/11 services, the majority of it
during the first year. Donations were primarily used for practical items and
services including food for rescue workers and volunteers, steel-toed boots,
socks, eye drops, rest stations and other items related to the cleanup effort
at Ground Zero.
The Army also continued to assist people
displaced following the attacks, providing rent and utility assistance, job
placement and referrals for health care needs, among other things. Resources
were also allocated toward long-term assistance programs, including an
extensive $4 million crisis counseling program for people affected by 9/11 that
served 5,670 people. The program will continue to operate in the Greater New
York Division through the end of this year.
The GNY Division
served more than 59,000 people through 9/11-related, long-term assistance
programs, including clothing and food, crisis counseling/group therapy, child
care, employment training and placement, funeral/burial expenses and assistance
with issues relating to FEMA filing, finance and counseling, healthcare
referral, housing/utilities, immigration, legal concerns, spiritual life and
other matters.
In response to the 9/11 attack on the
Pentagon, the National Capital-Virginia Division provided aid and comfort to
workers and survivors and helped over 17,000 survivors and their families with
direct social service aid.
Following the crash of United
flight 93 in Pennsylvania, The Salvation Army served nearly 20,000 meals and
provided some 13,000 volunteer hours.
Community outreach paying off 
in Tupelo,
Miss., after busy summer
The Salvation Army of
Tupelo, Miss., recently held its Back-to-School Bash for area children, winding
down summer vacation with one last "hoorah." After a summer filled
with parties, movies, bowling, skating and a trip to a water park, Shelley
Futrelle, SAMS (Salvation Army mission specialist), decided to make going back
to school fun for the kids.
After several generous
donations, 75 backpacks were filled with school supplies for each child
specified in the program. Some children received a full backpack; other
children filled their backpacks by playing games such as bowling, a cake walk,
tic-tac-toe, etc. The prizes awarded were school supplies that included
notebook paper, pencils, glue, crayons and other back-to-school
materials.
"We decided to provide supplies to all of
the children from the corps and from our community outreach group because there
was such a need," Futrelle said. "We gathered school lists, combined
what was needed onto one piece of paper, and we went and shopped for the
supplies." Attending the bash were 162 people - the majority brought in
through the outreach program.
The duties of a SAMS involve
venturing out into the local communities and determining underlying needs while
raising awareness of the programs offered at The Salvation Army. The SAMS also
plans special events to get the communities involved and nurtures those
relationships that are developed in order to increase program participation at
the corps.
"We increased in number because part of my
job is to get out into the community and do evangelism," Futrelle said.
"We visited all of the major apartment buildings this summer to talk about
our programs, and we attended two fun festivals for two different apartment
complexes to try to set up outreach programs. Because we have done a lot of leg
work this summer, we are reaping the benefits now. Our programs have almost
doubled, and we have 10 new families attending all corps functions, including
Sunday services."
Each Thursday evening, the Tupelo
facility receives about 75 kids. "This is an outreach function, but it
includes a few of our corps kids," Futrelle said. "We are trying to
change that. This fall, on Thursday evenings, we will be having "Fun with
Futrelle," which is a weekly Sunday school, but the kids don't know
that. Afterwards, we will have Sunbeams, Girl Guards and SAAC. We are trying to
bridge the gap between Thursday community outreach and Sunday
programs."
"The SAMS position has been a blessing to the Tupelo
Corps," said Major Sue Dorman, corps officer. "It has opened doors in
our community for services to all walks of life. Through the leadership of
Shelley in this area and the involvement of corps locals, the Tupelo Corps is
definitely on the move in advancing God's Kingdom."Tammy
Craft
Garden provides more than
groceries at Center of Hope
Lake Charles, La.,
facility is growing new form of therapeutic release 
Nearly one year
after Hurricane Rita devastated the area, things are up and coming - literally
- at The Salvation Army's Center of Hope in Lake Charles, La. While
disaster relief is still being provided to hurricane victims, Captain David
Sams has come up with a relatively simple, yet creative, way to help people
seeking treatment in the center's drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.
It keeps a little extra money in the bank as well.
In the
spring, Sams planted a garden - a big one. And when the Lord giveth, He giveth
a lot. The garden produces heaps of vegetables - among them are banana peppers,
jalapenos, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons and three kinds of beans.
"The vegetables have to be picked every other day," Sams said.
"We have more produce than we can even eat at the Center of Hope. We have
had to give vegetables to corps members, employees and friends. That's a
big garden."
The garden saves the Center of Hope about
$1,500 a month. "We were spending $2,000 a month on food, and the majority
of that was for produce," Sams said. "Now we only have to spend $500
a month, and that's for the meat." The cost of starting the garden,
purchasing fertilizer, supplies, etc., was only $300. The money saved is used
to support the programs at the Center of Hope.
Although the
additional money is a bonus, Sams decided to plant the garden as an alternative
method of treatment at the Center of Hope. "It's therapeutic to see
that God grows things for us. It's relatively inexpensive to have, and we
only have to weed and maintain it. God does the rest. It's been an
all-around good thing," he said. "It has been therapeutic for me,
too."
"I am thrilled that Captain Sams has taken
something very practical and made it therapeutic for the men in recovery,"
said Major Dalton Cunningham, Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi divisional
commander. "It gives them something constructive to do with their time and
energy."
Sams plans to plant winter crops soon.
"We are going to plant potatoes, greens, onions - things that can grow in
the fall and winter. We'll use the garden year-round," he
said.
In addition to the garden, the men at the Center of Hope have
planted flower beds around the facility, further beautifying the property.
"We're trying to make the Center of Hope the Center of Hope,"
Sams said. "Not the Center of Despair."
Tammy
Craft