Posts Tagged ‘Food’

When it comes to Ben Stein – his monotone voice, dry humor and sarcastic wit – most people either love him or hate him.

The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command is hoping for the former.

The Houston Business Journal reported that the Command will host Ben Stein as its keynote speaker at its annual luncheon fundraiser.

Though perhaps most famously known for his role in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and as the dry spokesvoice for Visine ads, Stein is also a noted economist, bestselling author, comic, and former New York Times columnist.

The luncheon is scheduled for Nov. 3rd at the Hilton-Americas Hotel and the proceeds will benefit the Army’s programs in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.

To learn more about the event or to get tickets, refer to the Greater Houston Area Command’s website.

The Salvation Army knows that need knows no season.

Unfortunately, in a troubled economy with more people than ever before seeking help from social service agencies, the Army – and many similar organizations – has found itself in need of help.

Food kitchens and pantries across the country have seen exponential increase in the community’s need for their services.  However, as need continues to rise, donations are becoming few and far between.

However, for one Salvation Army Food Pantry in Austin, Minnesota, the calvary has arrived.

The Austin Daily Herald reports that the United Way’s board of directors in that locale will make a $15,000 donation from their Emergency Fund to assist the Salvation Army in paying its bills.

According to the article, the Army had sent out a plea for help to the community and all of its major donors for help.  The United Way, recognizing the Austin Salvation Army as a sponsored partner, awarded the grant from its Emergency Fund.

Sadly, the story of the Austin Salvation Army is commonplace the nation over.  While are generous during the Army’s Red Kettle Campaign at Christmas, donations of time, talent and money are less plentiful throughout the year when the funds are still needed to support daily social services to the community.

You can help the Army in your area, too, by making a donation.  Online donations can be made here or you can call 1-800-SAL-Army.  You can even mail donations to your local Salvation Army using the National Website’s zip code locator, located in the upper right-hand corner of the site’s homepage.

Be a hero…do some good!

(photo by Eric Johnson) Lori Blanton, case manager for the Salvation Army, stands in the a store room at the Salvation Army that sits low on food items. The Salvation Army, a source for those in need, has now found itself in need, partly because of the struggling economy.

The Bremerton Salvation Army in Washington state brought together the area’s homeless with elected officials for its “Lunch with Electeds.”

The Kitsap Sun writes that, over a lunch of  turkey and potatoes, “society’s downtrodden” got some face time with city council members, mayoral candidates and state representatives.

“The homeless told lawmakers about a number of daily challenges, like finding a ride when Kitsap Transit is reducing service because of budget issues. Others spoke of the difficulty in making themselves presentable for a job or job interview, with limited opportunities for showers and haircuts.”

“The things you just take for granted,” said Fred Chang, Port Orchard city councilman.

The Salvation Army is doing its part.  The article reports that the Bremerton Salvation Army is planning to open a hygiene center adjacent to its downtown location to help the homeless overcome cleanliness obstacles on their way to gaining employment.  They’ve also asked lawmakers for help on creating a winter shelter that homeless people could use during the cold-weather months and for continued communication between agencies that work with the homeless and lawmakers and police agencies.

One meal at a time, one story at a time, lives are being changed.

It can be easy to separate ourselves from the marginalized of our society; to explain away or justify reasons why our lives are so different.  But events like this remind us that no matter our station in life, we are all the same with the same fundamental needs: food, shelter, and access to opportunities.

Indeed, the Bremerton Salvation Army’s lunch is a great example of the Army’s goal to meet human needs wherever and however.  Although we’ve evolved from the years where “soap, soup and salvation” was our slogan, we are always mindful of our beginnings and how offering people the very basics can often open doors in their futures that were never options before.

Chef Cecil Morris Jr. serving. (Photo courtesy of The Salvation Army)

USA Today’s story, “Homeless People Learn to Feed Others as Chefs,” talks about Cecil Morris, Jr., a once homeless, drug- and alcohol-addict who spent a year in The Salvation Army’s adult rehabilitation center and now works as the culinary arts director at The Salvation Army in his community.

Now a chef himself, Morris teaches the skills he learned from the chef in his rehab program to the unemployed he interacts with everyday.

There’s an old saying:  “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime” (author unknown).  Indeed Chef Morris, and the estimated 500 other trained chefs working full-time to feed the needy, are both giving men fish and teaching them to fish.

Many of the services The Salvation Army offers are created to fulfill the immediate, urgent needs of people, but to also give them the knowledge, training and connections to secure a better future for themselves.  From Sunday Corps services to disaster response and back-to-school supply drives, we believe in teaching a man to fish.

Chef Morris believes that he’s found his calling.   “I believe I was placed here for a reason,” he said.  “I’m a light to guys who knew me from the street. They see me now, and they see how far I’ve come.”

What skills do you have?  Could they help someone else make it to the next level in their lives? Use your talents to help others, show them how to help themselves, and you’ll be Doing The Most Good.

Check out photos of some more of The Salvation Army’s Top Chefs.