Archive for February, 2010

A Salvation Army officer provides a meal to a displaced family.

Tents to house 60 displaced families as a result of  Saturday’s earthquake in Chile have been set up on the patio of the Hualpencillo Corps near Concepcion, reports Lt. Colonel Maria Alarcon, The Salvation Army’s South America West Territory Secretary for Business Administration. She added that Salvation Army officers are traveling from Puerto Montt and Osorno, in Southern Chile, to Concepcion to join The Salvation Army emergency relief response team.

The area most affected by Saturday’s earthquake was between the cities Os Temuco and Chillan, with Concepcion being the hardest hit.

Lt. Colonel Alarcon said, “I have never seen such destruction here before, though I have worked in many disaster situations – they don’t compare with this. Our officers are all fine, but a lot of Salvation Army properties are damaged especially the older ones made of adobe bricks. The worst damage in Santiago has occurred at Quinta Normal and Lo Vial Corps, and El Faro Men’s Residence.”

Territorial Commander for the South American West Territory, Commissioner Jorge A. Ferreira (currently in Ecuador) reports that The Salvation Army is also carrying out emergency relief work in the city of Os Valparaiso on the west coast of Chile. The Commissioner adds that it had been planned to dedicate a recently arrived mobile Salvation Army emergency services canteen (a donation from USA Southern Territory) on 4 March, but it is already being used to serve those in need.

To support The  Salvation Army’s ongoing relief efforts in Chile, donate online or text the word ‘CHILE’ to 52000 and confirm with ‘YES.’

To stay updated on The Salvation Army’s efforts in Chile, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org or follow us on  Facebook and Twitter.

A Salvation Army mobile canteen administers food and water to Chileans affected by Saturday's earthquake.

To support its relief efforts in Chile, The Salvation Army has already established a text-to-give program that works on all major cell-phone carriers within the United States. This number is for people who want to give a small amount quickly.

If you’d like to helpThe Salvation Army’s relief effort in Chile, simply text the word “CHILE” to 52000 to make a one-time $10 donation billed to cell phone account.

According to Ginny Edwards of the Mobile Giving Foundation, “By texting the word “CHILE” to 52000 via a mobile phone, a micro-donation of $10 can be made to aid the people affected by this tragedy. 100% of your donation goes to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts in Chile, and the donation appears as a charge on your carrier bill, standard rates may apply.”

The earthquake epicenter was approximately 90 miles North west of the city of Concepción in Southern Chile.  This is approximately 350 miles from the capital of Santiago. Nevertheless, according to officials on the ground, the quake was of a 7.0 magnitude in the Santiago metropolitan region. People have flocked to the streets as numerous aftershocks continue to pummel the country, severely affecting older buildings in the more historical areas of the larger cities.

To donate online, visit our page set up through The Salvation Army’s national website.

To stay updated on The Salvation Army’s efforts in Chile, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org or follow us on  Facebook and Twitter.

Following earthquake in area of Santiago

(International Headquarters, London, England) Following a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile during the early hours of Saturday morning (27 February) Salvation Army emergency services were immediately mobilized to provide support and comfort and international financial assistance is already on the way.

Lt. Colonel Mike Caffull, the emergency services coordinator for The Salvation Army International Headquarters (IHQ) in London reports that IHQ has already agreed to provide financial assistance for the Chilean Salvationists initial relief response. He said assistance coordinated by the IHQ emergency team will also be provided regarding ongoing relief in the medium and long term.

Chief Secretary for The Salvation Army in South America West, Lt. Colonel F. Bradford Bailey says that the immediate response is to provide food, water, first aid kits, emergency packets, blankets, candles and other urgently required supplies. A recently arrived mobile canteen (a donation from the USA Southern Territory) is one of the key relief vehicles.

The earthquake epicenter was approximately 90 miles (150 kilometers) north-west of the city of Concepción in Southern Chile. Lt. Colonel Bailey says that this is approximately 350 miles (600 kilometers) from the capital of Santiago, ‘nevertheless, the quake was of a 7.0 magnitude in the Santiago metropolitan region’. He adds that people have flocked to the streets ‘as numerous aftershocks continue to pummel’ the country, severely affecting older buildings in the more historical areas of the larger cities.

Water, gas and electricity has been cut off in affected areas and will stay disconnected until relevant emergency crews can assess the damage and prioritize immediate needs.

The colonel says that in these early hours after the quake it has been extremely difficult to communicate with Salvation Army centers throughout the country as all phone lines (mobile and land) have been disrupted. ‘However, preliminary reports are reassuring in terms of Salvation Army personnel.’ He is reported to have said.

At the time of writing this news release the colonel was not able to provide information regarding Salvation Army property.

The Salvation Army has been active in the country of Chile since October 1909. Please pray for the people of Chile.

Thanks to The Salvation Army's Soup's On! Program, Myisha Wilson is taking steps to develop a career in the culinary arts. (Photo Credit: The Salvation Army Philadelphia)

A group of Philadelphia chefs will have the opportunity to showcase their talent at a reception on March 3 honoring the city’s distinguished former district attorney. However, what makes this so special is these chefs, now using their delectable skills to entertain some of the city’s finest, were once unemployed or underemployed individuals with no professional cooking background and depending on help from local community agencies.

Now, thanks to The Salvation Army Soup’s On! Project developed by the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Division, those who were once down and out now have developed a trade that is enabling them to sustain themselves, compete in the job market, and engage in a creative outlet.

The Soup’s On! Projects is a job training and placement program that helps those who are economically disadvantaged kick start a new career in the culinary arts, teaching students lessons from traditional cooking techniques to business management.

Participants are referred from community agencies and Salvation Army programs – including corps community centers, homeless residential facilities and The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center – and trained through hands-on work experience over a three month period. Soup’s On! graduates earn a ServeSafe certificate and are employed at culinary establishments throughout Philadelphia.

Last year Myisha Wilson was struggling to get her life back on track after a drug addiction forced her to quit her aspirations of going into the medical field. She had been clean for more than three months when a recovery counselor recommended she apply for The Salvation Army Soup’s On! Project.

Now a student in the program, she’s learning new recipes and cutting techniques and all about catering. She even hopes to open a soul food restaurant with her mom.

According to Soup’s On!, “more than 375 students have graduated from the program and went on to pursue jobs in the culinary field. The job retention rate is over 91/2 years – this represents 91% of all students that have graduated successfully from the Soup’s On! program.”

What a terrific initiative that inspires hope and empowers individuals to succeed!

Congratulations and best wishes to the chefs who will be participating at the March 3 dinner event, and to all the lucky guests, Bon Appetit!

For more information, including tickets or partnerships, email The Salvation Army Soup’s On! Program, or call 215-787-5964. We hope to see you there!

Major Evelyn Chavez (left) treats 11 yr. old Rosier for burns she received when bumping into a cooking fire.

Tens of thousands of earthquake victims are living in a camp of temporary, makeshift shelters near The Salvation Army’s main compound in Port-au-Prince, Haiti because their homes were completely destroyed or remain dangerously unstable.

With the massive population living almost on top of one another in these tent cities, the cramped quarters pose additional threats to its citizens, such as increased risk for disease and injury.

The Salvation Army’s Major Evelyn Chavez, who has been recently serving as a hospital chaplain in Haiti, said they are beginning to see more patients with maladies related to the way of life that has resulted from the earthquake aftermath.

Rosier, an 11 year old girl, came to the clinic for treatment after being burned by the fire her parents were cooking on.  Major Chavez explained that  the overcrowded sites within the tent city must accommodate multiple purposes – a family may be using the space to cook, while children run around and play in the same area.  Unfortunately, Rosier  bumped into the cooking area and suffered burns beneath her arm, on her chest, and on her back.

Major Chavez and medical personnel cleaned and bandaged Rosier and asked her to return everyday for a fresh dressing to prevent infection, which Major Chavez described as “a real challenge.” When attending to the girl’s second and third degree burns, Major Chavez said, “Rosier cried a little …but she let us do what we needed to do and was very brave.  She is such a sweet little girl.”

She went on to describe the other challenges she and the medical staff faced as recovery slowly marches on:

“Besides the concerns for new injuries like this, we are seeing more and more people beginning to dig in the rubble piles along the streets.  There is potential for injuries as the people are working without the proper tools and passing concrete down to each other.  We’ve seen a few injuries from people stepping on pieces of metal, etc. while trying to clear rubble.  The other medical issue we’re seeing is babies and some adults coming in with bronchial infections and extremely high fevers.  We know this is from breathing  the dust and smoke.  Especially in the little ones, they just aren’t strong enough to have any resistance.  Many of them are undernourished and slightly dehydrated so that adds to their susceptibility to infections.”

However, Major Chavez said they are “blessed with a good supply of antibiotics” that will help her and other faithful Salvation Army workers do their best to meet human need in Haiti.

For more information about The Salvation Army’s ongoing relief efforts in Haiti, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org, or our Haiti Division website  at www.salvationarmyhaiti.org.

If you would like to support our relief efforts in the devastated country, you can contribute a financial donation through:
•    Text messaging “HAITI” to 52000, and confirming with “Yes”
•    www.salvationarmyusa.org
•    1-800-SAL-ARMY
•    Mailing a check or money order to:
The Salvation Army World Service Office
P.O. Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
*with designation “Haiti Earthquake.”

The Salvation Army’s Major Evelyn Chavez is temporarily serving as a hospital chaplain in Haiti and has been relaying her experiences. Her correspondance yesterday recounted the community’s reaction to the earthquake’s most recent afershocks. She said:

“The last two days we have had five or six aftershocks-some big-some small.  These came just as people were settling down and beginning to trust going back into buildings.  The result has been upsetting to many of the Haitians and you can see the look of shear terror in their eyes.

At the school it was mass pandemonium.  The children returned to the upstairs classrooms last week.  When this aftershock struck – a 4.5 – about 300 children and their teachers ran for the two stairways and flooded the courtyard at the clinic area.  On the first floor where we were having clinic, the patients bolted for the doors and were out of the building.  When you see the way buildings are down here, you can understand their reaction.”

Despite the scare caused by the tremors, Major Chavez  said she found hope in Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

She also shared great news about a 27 year-old clinic patient named Josett Baptiste.

Josett had been trapped for two days beneath a collapsed building following the earthquake, resulting in a large wound on his left thigh and requiring his right leg to be amputated below the knee. He and most of his family live in The Salvation Army’s temporary camp near the compound, and he visits the clinic every few days to have his wounds treated. A doctor from the organization In His Image who knows Josett called Major Chavez to let her know she arranged for Josett to be seen and fitted by a prosthesitist who is coming to visit the island nation, which Major Chavez described as “a huge blessing for this young man.”

Major Chavez said, “It is truly amazing the work The Salvation Army has been able to accomplish from four classrooms in a building that withstood the quake.  God is surely blessing the work of the volunteers who are giving so much of their time and expertise to assist The Salvation Army in the work in Haiti.  The effect and witness will be felt for many years to come in this community of Dalmas 2, Port au Prince, Haiti.”

It’s almost time (we hope) to shed those burly winter coats and sweaters for some lighter, brighter spring outfits! The transition of storing away cold weather clothes and bringing out warm weather threads is the perfect time to clean out the clutter in your closets and drawers.

And if you need some motivation for such a project, The Salvation Army and Stein Mart are offering incentive through their national Give & Receive clothing drive, March 4-6. Shoppers who bring clean, gently used garments in good condition to any Stein Mart store during the Give & Receive event will enjoy great discounts while helping those in need.

For each item donated, contributors will receive a coupon for 20% off any item.* Towards what can you use some savings? Clothes, shoes, home décor? All of the above? Well here’s your opportunity.

This is the third year that Stein Mart and The Salvation Army have teamed up to help those in need. Approximately one million pieces of clothing have been donated by Stein Mart shoppers to help replenish The Salvation Army Thrift and Family Stores. All proceeds from the Thrift and Family Stores directly support The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers, where over 340,000 men and women turned their lives around in the past year.

Do something good for your family and others less fortunate at the same time by bringing in your new or gently used clothes for the Give & Receive drive. This takes ‘retail therapy’ to a whole new level.

Read the Give & Receive press release here.

For more information about The Salvation Army, visit www.salvationarmyusa.org. To learn more about Stein Mart or to find a store near you, visit www.steinmart.com.

*Coupons can be redeemed at Stein Mart stores March 4-6, 2010. Limit four coupons per customer. Customers can donate as many items as they like. Tax receipts are available for donations.

Major George Polarek helps volunteers in Abilene package meals for Haiti earthquake survivors.

Many of you have asked how you can help relief efforts with Haiti. Well, The Salvation Army has another opportunity available for anyone with a compassionate heart for the country! The Salvation Army and Numana, Inc. are partnering with Kansas City volunteers to prepare one million meals for earthquake survivors, and your efforts are needed to make it happen.

Taking place Friday, February 26 and Saturday, February 27, people of all ages (yes, that includes children!) can help in a variety of ways, from packing meals, to training volunteers, passing out fliers, or contributing monetary donations. Roll up your sleeves and lend a hand! Gather some of your friends and family and make it a group effort! Everyone has something to offer for this event.

Here are the details:

WHAT: One Million Meals for Haiti Community Packaging Event

WHO: You, your Friends, Family, Coworkers, Classmates – Everyone!

WHERE: The American Royal Center, Governor’s Expo

Kansas City, Missouri

WHEN: Friday, February 26, 2010 from 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

HOW: You can help by:

• Packaging food (1-hour commitment; no sign-up necessary)

• Training and leading other volunteers (4-hour commitment; sign-up online)

• Passing out fliers ahead of time

• Contributing monetary donations

Volunteers will help The Salvation Army prepare 1,000,000 meals of rice, soy protein, freeze-dried vegetables, and a blend of 21 vitamins. This food is designed to support the immune system of people suffering from severe malnutrition and hunger. Thanks to the efforts of our volunteers, these life-saving meals only cost around 30 cents each, which includes the cost of all the ingredients and shipping to Haiti!

For more detailed information such as instructions, volunteer positions available, and registration information, visit HERE.

This video walks through the simple process of packaging Numana meals, easily accomplished by volunteers of all ages.

To stay update on The Salvation Army’s ongoing relief efforts in Haiti, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org, or www.salvationarmyhaiti.org.

American Idol winner Kris Allen holds a coded card developed by UPS and used by The Salvation Army to streamline the emergency supply distribution process in Haiti.

American Idol will kick off “Idol Gives Back” on Thursday, February 25, where you can see 2009 winner Kris Allen perform to video footage of his recent trip to Haiti. Partnering with the UN Foundation, Allen visited Place de la Paix, Haiti where The Salvation Army serves as the camp management agency for a settlement that is home to 20,000 individuals displaced by January’s earthquake.

The UN specifically selected the camp due to its extreme overcrowding and overwhelming need.

According to the proposed schedule of events, Allen met with representatives from The Salvation Army, UNICEF, Irish NGO Concern, and the Camp Management Committee, which is composed of residents of the settlement.

After being introduced to the organizations that have been deeply involved with emergency relief in the area, Allen was guided through the camp, visiting the registration office, sanitation area, and water storage bladders as he learned about the process that aid-seekers must go through and the struggles they continually face such as extreme congestion and sanitation issues.

Kris Allen, last year's "American Idol" winner, teamed up with the UN to pay a special visit to The Salvation Army in Port au Prince over the weekend. Allen helped Army officials distribute high-tech laminate cards that bear unique barcodes to more than 4,000 families.

To serve the settlement of Place de Paix, The Salvation Army has partnered with Concern, which is focusing on water and sanitation, as well as nutrition, in the area.  There are currently two large water bladders that provide some 300,000 liters of drinking water for the population on a daily basis!  Concern is also working to put in latrines and showers for the population.  The Brazilian NGO Vivario, which had a pre-existing program in the neighborhood, continues to work in the areas of water and sanitation.

In an interview, Allen said he did some hard work of hauling debris during his brief visit, but he also had precious moments with the people like singing with some local children.

Be sure to tune in to American Idol on Thursday, February 25 to see the work that is taking place (and the work that is still needed) in Haiti!

If you would like to support The Salvation Army’s ongoing relief efforts in the devastated country, you can contribute a financial donation through:
•    Text messaging “HAITI” to 52000, and confirming with “Yes”
•    www.salvationarmyusa.org
•    1-800-SAL-ARMY
•    Mailing a check or money order to:
The Salvation Army World Service Office
P.O. Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
*with designation “Haiti Earthquake.”

With UPS Trackpad® technology, The Salvation Army in Port-Au-Prince manages the distribution of supplies by tracking goods received, the number of family members per household, and their camp location.

Have you ever sent or received a package and tracked it online through UPS? If so, you’re probably familiar with the useful technology that keeps you well informed and your parcell accounted for throughout the process.

Now, UPS has donated use of their Trackpad technology to The Salvation Army for use in Haiti relief efforts, adapting the barcode scanning system to disaster relief supply distribution.

Using unique, laminated cards with barcodes, The Salvation Army is now able to streamline distribution of food, medical supplies, and shelter for the 4,000 families living in a makeshift camp near the Port-au-Prince compound.

These high-tech coded cards store useful information such as the type and amount of supplies the family has received, where they live within the camp, and how many members are in their family. They also resist wear and tear far better than the handwritten, paper index cards previously used, as well as reduce fraud and theft. In addition to using the technology to optimize food distribution, the Salvation Army also plans to use the cards and tracking system to help with the distribution of hygiene kits and tarps to prepare for the upcoming rainy season.

UPS technology provider Cardinal Tracking provided the barcode cards and donated labor and equipment for the project. The system includes 4,000 laminated cards, two handheld scanners and a laptop.

Damaris Frick, manager of the Salvation Army’s camp in Port Au Prince, said in an official statement, “We are abundantly grateful to UPS for providing this new distribution system. The technology will improve the speed of the distribution, helping us to keep the process as orderly as possible…We will no longer need to manually input distribution data, which will also speed up and increase the accuracy of our reporting process to other NGOs and donors.”

In addition to the UPS Trackpad project, UPS’s relief effort in Haiti has included:

• $1 million in cash and in-kind donations to relief organization partners, including CARE, the U.N. World Food Programme, and the American Red Cross.
• Logistics coordination for relief shipments.
• Air, ground, and ocean shipping.
• Employee volunteers to help prepare relief shipments and assist relief agencies.
• Loaning logistics management expertise to assist the U.N. World Food Programme’s Logistics Emergency Team in the Dominican Republic by overseeing warehousing and other distribution operations.

For the full press release, visit the UPS website.

To stay updated on The Salvation Army’s efforts in Haiti, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org or follow us on  Facebook and Twitter.