Thank You Columbus Community

  On July 29, 2010 we put out a plea to the community to help with The Salvation Army’s relief on feeding the hungry. Our food pantry was down to only 1 box of macaroni and cheese. The Columbus Community has stepped up with both  monetary and food donations, and for that we are thankful.

“This month (August) we have seen more individuals than we did in July. Although the food is coming in it is going out just as quick. To date we have helped 274 individuals either with financial or food assitance, over 100 of these individuals are new to our program. We are thankful to all those who have helped The Salvation Army.” stated Lt. Jodi Sladek.

If you would like to make a donation to help the food pantry you may stop by The Salvation Army located at 2525 Illinoise Avenue, Columbus, IN 47201. The Corps building is located at the corner of Gladstone and Illinois.

The Salvation Army Aids 300 Families In Pakistan Amidst Flood Aftermath

Courtesy Salvation Army USA:

The Salvation Army in Pakistan continued its initial response to the floods that have are now thought to have affected 20 million people by distributing bedding and cooking utensil packs to 300 families in Charsadda. An assessment team visited Charsadda a week earlier and discovered that the floods had devastated the town, wrecking homes and businesses.

The distribution team included Lieut-Colonel Yousaf Ghulam (Chief Secretary of the Salvation Army’s Pakistan Territory) and Lieut-Colonel Rebecca Yousaf (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries).

The first distribution, to 100 families, took place at Charsadda Bible Church. Lieut-Colonel Ghulam spoke to community members, offering sympathy.

The Bishop of Peshawar arrived during the distribution and thanked The Salvation Army for its work. Members of the local media were also present and asked many questions about The Salvation Army.

The next distribution was in a hujra (an annex to a main building) in Charsadda for two hundred Muslim families. There was a large crowd of people already gathered when the team arrived but the proceedings went smoothly. The chief secretary gave a short message for the community and the bishop offered words of comfort. Local Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Mr Javed Prince added a few words of sympathy for the community.

He said, “We are determined to face this big challenge. We will do hard work to reconstruct our houses. At the moment we are having problems but we are brave and we can fight.”

Imran Azm, a policeman who works in Peshawar, collected supplies for his parents. He told team members that he is determined to provide for his family.

Both Noor and Imran expressed their gratitude for what they described as a ‘token of love’ given by The Salvation Army.

The next day, the team visited Academy Town Corps (Salvation Army church) to meet affected families. Assessment visits were also made to Nowshera, Pabi, Jahangia and Aza khail, all communities near the River Kabul.

In Aza khail the team saw people in desperate need. The community of around 15,000 people was near to the river and its houses were washed away. The people who remain explained that many bodies have yet to be found because they were swept away by the flood or buried under rubble.

The community members asked for tents to provide shelter. The Salvation Army is putting together funds so it can look to buy a large number of tents that will begin to address some of the people’s most urgent needs.

For more information visit The Salvation Army Pakistan’s website at http://www.salvationarmy.org/pak/www_pak.nsf/.

Adapted from a report by Salvation Army Captain Imran Sabir

Target Back to School Shopping Spree for Local Students

What a great way to start off your day than meeting 30 kids and their parents outside Target at 8:00 a.m. on August 10, 2010. The time seemed to fly by as kids shopped with their chaperones. After ten minutes one young gentleman was already checked out with his stuff and retired Major Tom Nicholls said “Boy that was easy who’s next.”

30 local students in need had the opportunity to visit the Columbus Target store and purchase backpacks, calculators, pens and pencils, art supplies, binders, clothing and other must-have supplies just in time for back-to-school. The Salvation Army and Target are helped a total of 12,000 K-12 students across the country gear up for the upcoming academic year and get ready to succeed in school with the Target School Spree. Each child, selected by The Salvation Army, was awarded an $80 Target Gift Card to purchase back-to-school supplies. They were also given a reusable Target shopping bag and paired with a volunteer chaperone.

“We had a blast and the kids did too. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing kids faces light up as they pick out clothes for school. It was great to see such big smiles and having such thankful parents,” said Lt. Jodi Sladek

Education is at the heart of Target’s giving and the Target School Spree is one of many ways that Target acts locally to help kids learn and schools teach, paving a path to graduation. As part the Target School Spree, Target awarded 39 of The Salvation Army divisions nationwide a total of $960,000 worth of Target gift cards for the shopping sprees. Nearly 500 Target stores participated in the one-day Target School Spree event in select regions across the country. Each $80 Target Gift Card awarded as part of the program provided a child with the necessary supplies to go back to school in the fall, ready to learn.

Haiti: 6 Months Later

The Salvation Army will complete the construction of 600 housing shelters through the Transitional Shelter Program in Jacmel, Haiti this week, to assist in relocating earthquake-displaced Haitians back to their home communities. Over the past six months The Salvation Army has transitioned from providing for immediate needs, including temporary shelter, food, water and medical attention to providing long-term recovery services to help return survivors to a level of normalcy in their lives. The long-term rebuilding process has employed more than 400 Haitians as carpenters and construction crew-members to assist in reconstruction efforts.

“The level of care and steps taken to rebuild Haiti has been astonishing, with this transitional housing project highlighting the significant strides everyone has made over the past six months,” said Lt. Colonel Dan Starrett Executive Director of The Salvation Army World Service Office. “Housing shelters have been built in some of the most heavily impacted areas in Haiti, including Jacmel, Bainet, Lilette and Bellami. The Salvation Army has had a major presence in Haiti since the 1950s and we’ll continue to provide earthquake relief services for as long as the need is there.”

Haitian officials and residents worked closely with The Salvation Army to plan and manage the transitional housing shelters project which allowed for a quick design and building process. Through both volunteerism and temporary employment by The Salvation Army, residents of Haiti have been directly involved in the reconstruction of their communities. The Salvation Army provided technical specialists as needed for the project and Haitian teams were trained by The Salvation Army’s transitional housing team. Others were hired to clear land for the construction of the homes. In all, more than 400 Haitians, comprising at least 45 construction teams, were trained to supervise and build 600 homes.

“For the safety and well-being of the thousands of Haitians who have been displaced, it was critical that we constructed these homes as quickly and strongly as possible with the hurricane season here,” said Lt. Colonel Starrett. “The ultimate goal of our emergency service in Haiti is to provide the resources for the community to return to self sufficiency at a level that exceeds conditions before the earthquake. These homes are the first steps of many in that direction.”

Following the construction of the 600 shelters in Jacmel, which began on June 5, The Salvation Army will work with government officials in Haiti to plan the second phase of development for an additional 500 homes in Jacmel and another 1,000-1,500 homes in Petit-Goâve, which felt a strong 5.9 magnitude aftershock on January 20. The quake’s epicenter was almost directly under Petit-Goâve, severely damaging the city. Each home will take one day to complete, with each costing approximately $1,800. Like in Jacmel, the homes will be built on existing home sites. Individuals and families who have lost their homes due to the earthquake must own the property on which their new home will be built in order to obtain a shelter. Families are helped first, followed by single women with children and other vulnerable populations.

Locally, The Indiana Salvation Army sent down some of the first response teams following the January earthquake (http://salvationarmyindiana.org/2010/local-response-team-heads-to-haiti/).  The support of Hoosiers for The Salvation Army’s relief efforts was overwhelming.  “We are proud of Central Indiana’s response to the crisis in Haiti.  Hoosiers donated nearly $400,000 to Haitian disaster relief and today’s news shows that their investment has produced tangible results. The effort continues both in Haiti and in Indianapolis to rebuild communities and restore lives. We want to express our thanks to all Hoosiers who have contributed and continue to support our mission,” said Jeff Stanger, Development Director for the Indiana Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army set up a Haiti relief fund and is accepting monetary donations. Donors may contribute $10 via their phone bill by text messaging the word “HAITI” to 52000, and confirming the donation with the word, “Yes.”  Donors can also give via www.salvationarmyusa.org, 1-800-SAL-ARMY and through the mail at: The Salvation Army World Service Office, International Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 630728, Baltimore, MD 21263-0728 with designation “Haiti Earthquake.” To date, more than $20.5 million has been donated to The Salvation Army to assist in the development of the housing units, provide 5.4 million meals, as well as other immediate and long-term recovery services in Haiti. Through the shelter campaign, The Salvation Army will continue will provide over 4400 shelters in the next 6-12 months in Jacmel, Petit-Goâve and Port -au-Prince.

Prior to the earthquake, The Salvation Army in Haiti operated schools, clinics, a hospital, feeding programs, children’s homes and church-related activities through some 60 Corps community centers across the country.  One Salvation Army facility in Port-au-Prince includes a home for more than 50 children; a school with a daily attendance of 1,500 children; a medical clinic caring for 150-200 people daily; and a church that on any typical Sunday welcomes nearly 1,000 people.

Since January 12, The Salvation Army, along with the United Nations, local governments, and nongovernmental organizations has cared for the 20,000 individuals who have been displaced from their homes, living at a soccer field adjacent to a Salvation Army facility in Port-au-Prince. To establish a safe environment, a Camp Security force has been formed made up of 45 Haitian members from the camp itself. The team has been trained in security techniques by The Salvation Army and the United Nations. Medical care and nutritional services are also being provided to meet the needs of all individuals at the camp; including water purification units that supply 20,000 – 30,000 gallons of purified water or 4.2 million gallons of water daily.

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