Posts Tagged ‘homelessness’

What did you do on Labor Day?

Maybe you spent the waning days of summer by the pool or over a sizzling grill. Or maybe you skipped town for a brief getaway. Or maybe you had a lot of big ideas but never seemed to get beyond changing out of your pajamas.

If you’re like me, your aspirations for the Labor Day holiday probably didn’t include much laboring.

But 60 volunteers in Charlotte, North Carolina had a different idea. They spent their day off cleaning, painting, and transforming a Sunday school building into an emergency overflow shelter for homeless women. The site is being opened by The Salvation Army’s Center of Hope, whose main facility is experiencing overcrowding and must sometimes turn women away.

The Salvation Army expects the overflow shelter will be ready to open next week after one more volunteer-work day.

We appreciate these volunteers and the Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church (who donated use of the facility) for making it possible for The Salvation Army to better to serve the city’s homeless. Thanks to their efforts, at least 50 more women will have a safe place to rest their heads at night.

You can check out a video news story on these Labor Day laborers HERE.

To learn more about The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, visit their website HERE.

2010 Spring/Summer graduates of The Salvation Army's Culinary Training Program. Chef Timothy Tucker is pictured in back in a black chef's coat.

Congratulations to the newest graduates of The Salvation Army’s Culinary Training Program in Louisville, Kentucky! Chef Timothy Tucker’s program marked its 5th anniversary last week with a ceremony recognizing 10 more  individuals who have successfully completed the intensive, hands-on courses. The students, all of whom are either homeless or living below the poverty line, began their classes about 10 weeks ago with little to no knowledge of the kitchen and now are equipped with the skills they need to be competitive candidates for employment in the food and hospitality industry.

And as an exciting Program first, alumni Jackson Hodges was awarded a two year scholarship valued around $40,000 to Sullivan University where has the opportunity to study either  culinary arts or baking and pastries!

Chef Tucker’s program has been gaining attention around the community and across the country for its innovative way of fighting homelessness and poverty. This formally-trained chef left a lucrative career and  joined The Salvation Army, where he’s invited the disadvantaged and destitute to join him in the kitchen. As they work over cutting boards and stove tops,  there’s more than just great food  being served. Somewhere along the way the students have cooked up hope, empowerment, and a  permanent solution towards self-sufficiency.

Read more about The Salvation Army’s Culinary Training Program on our Salvation Army national blog here and at the Culinary Program’s websites www.cheftimothytucker.com and www.cheftimothytucker.blogspot.com. You can also show them your support by following them on Facebook!

Again, congratulations grads! We can’t wait to see the many opportunities that await you.

You may be familiar with the Pepsi Refresh Project that we’ve mentioned recently on our social media sites, but if not, here’s a quick recap: The Pepsi Refresh Project awards up to $1.3 million every month to people, businesses, and non-profits for ideas that will positively impact communities. Grants are awarded according to ideas that earn the most online votes within the $5K, $25K, $50K, and $250K categories.

Several Salvation Army units are in the running this month with their own original, creative ideas of how to improve their local communities. Two of these units have proposed plans focused on serving the homeless population, and they need your votes for the plans to come to fruition.

In the $250K grant category, The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division would use the funds to provide an additional 1,000 nights of shelter for Detroit’s homeless, plus 155,254 more meals to needy seniors, families and individuals through food pantries and mobile feeding trucks. They already provide more than 5,000 meals to people every day! You can help them achieve their goal by voting for this idea once a day, every day until August 31 at http://www.refresheverything.com/salmich.

In the $50K category, The Salvation Army Knoxville would use the grant to “Refresh” their Women’s Transitional Housing Program dormitory.  The facility has housed hundreds of women, an average of 150 per year, for thousands of days using the same used beds, mattresses, lockers and partitions obtained when the program began in 1997. Purchasing new housing items through this grant would provide the women greater safety, privacy, and comfort, increasing their potential for success in rebuilding their lives. You can support this great idea by voting once a day, every day until August 31 at http://www.refresheverything.com/knoxredshield2010.

While competition tends to almost require an “every man for himself” mentality, these Salvation Army units have actually partnered with other competitors of the Pepsi Refresh Project to promote one another’s projects among their supporter bases. Why would they do that? Because these diverse organizations from Connecticut to Washington state are pooling their efforts for the greater cause of fighting homelessness!  Since forming the unlikely alliance, the organizations have moved up in the vote rankings, meaning they are all that much closer to their shared aspiration of better serving some of most vulnerable and needy members of our communities. To see the list of these organizations and read their proposals to help the homeless, click here: http://pep.si/a1pWmF.

Don’t forget, you can vote once a day, every day for each idea until August 31. Helping support The Salvation Army and these great ideas is as easy as a click of a mouse!

The Salvation Army Lubbock's new Rapid Response Unit fits in the back of a truck to easily take meals and drinks directly to communities.

The Salvation Army in Lubbock, TX has a brand new piece of equipment called the Rapid Response Unit that will help feed more people and boost efficiency. It’s not only the first of its kind, it’s also the only of its kind – no other Salvation Army in the nation has one yet!

According to their Facebook page, The Salvation Army Lubbock says the Rapid Response Unit is small enough to fit in a truck bed or trailer and will expand their reach  up to 150 miles beyond the service area of Salvation Army canteens, larger mobile kitchens also used to serve food and drinks during emergencies.

The Rapid Response Unit was designed for on-the-street feedings and can hold up to 12 food trays, ice chests, drink containers, has plenty of room for storage and can be operated by one person. Salvation Army personnel are excited about serving the community with this versatile new equipment!

Check out a story on the Rapid Response Unit run by local news station FOX 34 here: Local Salvation Army reveals new, innovative equipment

Find more information about this and services offered by The Salvation Army Lubbock on their Facebook page or visit their website at http://www.salvationarmytexas.org/.

***Photos courtesy of  The Salvation Army Lubbock’s Facebook page.

This photo taken byTim Berger of the Glendale News-Press shows Chester Village, a new apartment complex meant to provide housing for formerly homeless families.

This summer in Glendale, California, one family made a seemingly ordinary move into a new 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment within a small complex pleasantly named Chester Village.

However, for this mother, this was an extraordinary event as it was the first time in several years that she and her young children were finally all living together under one roof. For her, this new home represented a world of fresh beginnings and opportunities  after she overcame substance abuse and homelessness, struggles that contributed to the state at one point removing her children from her care. But now, after showing her commitment to stay clean, she’s found a chance to turn her life around and offer her family stability in their new home at Chester Village.

In fact, all the families living in the 4 unit complex of Chester Village share something in common with this experience of hardship. That’s because the apartments are a unique development by The Salvation Army of Glendale meant to house formerly homeless families in order to help them transition into a stable and self-sufficient lifestyle.  To qualify for housing at least one parent must have a disability stemming from substance abuse, but in order to reside in the apartment they must also have completed a substance abuse program and commit to sobriety, as well as stay for 3-5 years and show a pursuit of more education or job skills training.

The Salvation Army, with the support of the city of Glendale, overcame many obstacles over several years before finally seeing Chester Village open to accept its first occupants, but just the impact it has had already in inspiring and transforming families once devoid of hope has made the pursuit worth it.

Read more details about Chester Village’s official opening and resident testimonies in an article featured by Glendale News-Press: An army of support

Additional information about how The Salvation Army’s Glendale Corps is doing the most good in their community can be found on their website at www.glendalecorps.org.

Video from NBC 10 WBIR News

These days it’s a tough job market.

But through  their Employment Assistance Program The Salvation Army in Knoxville, TN is equipping the unemployed with the tools they need to find jobs despite the challenging climate. This program recently hit an exciting milestone this month after placing its 100^th client in a full-time position!

The program actually began in 2008 with a one-year grant from the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, but when the grant was not renewed, The Salvation Army’s Director of Programs Ola Blackmon-McBride, decided to continue it rather than let the program die.  She has been running the program using Salvation Army resources and personnel since November.

The program averages about 24 new clients a month.  More than half of those will stick with the program until they find a job.  With limited resources – three computers and one telephone – Case Manager Angela Childers helps clients search for jobs, prepare resumes, write cover letters and prepare for interviews.

Childers deals with a variety of challenges that make it difficult for men seeking to turn their lives around.  “Some of the men have a criminal history, most have never put together a resume and few have any experience with a computer or using the internet to find and apply for jobs,” she said. “In addition, the current economy has more qualified job seekers looking for lower level jobs.”

Childers said that the men who apply themselves are still finding work, in spite of the challenges.  “If they are putting 100% into the program, it usually takes two to three weeks to find employment.”

The Salvation Army is excited for the new opportunities awaiting these 100 individuals who have persevered through our program and found new jobs, and we can’t wait for the next 100! And thank you to the staff in Knoxville for your efforts everyday in helping others turn their lives around for the better.

Members of the community who would like to support this valuable program and its effort to fight unemployment and homelessness can volunteer or provide in-kind donations, such as toiletries and bus passes as most of the men do not have transportation.

For more information about The Salvation Army Knoxville, visit their website at www.SalvationArmyKnoxville.org.

Information provided by Jonathan Haskell of The Salvation Army Knoxville.

I was in high school, maybe college, before I realized that there was something known as a vintage doll community.  In it, the most avid of collectors often pay top dollar to add old Barbies and baby dolls to their collections.

By the time I was graduating college, some of the dolls I’d played with as a child were increasing in value.  Certainly though, after the many home haircuts and make-up experiments I’d put my dollsthrough as a child, they wouldn’t be worth anything to a collector.

But for those who held on to their childhood toys, keeping the packaging sometimes and ensuring their pristine condition, it can be an opportunity to do some good for others.

A Times Union article tells the Seventh Annual “Every Doll Needs A Home” Doll Auction.  The event supports The Salvation Army’s Evangeline Booth Miracle Home in New York, an emergency homeless shelter for women and their children, and this year 110 different dolls will be auctioned off.

Scheduled for next week, Thursday, September 24th, dolls are expected to go at prices anywhere from $2 to $200 and the proceeds go directly to maintaining upkeep at the Booth home and educational programs to help the women who stay there improve their lives.

I hadn’t the foresight – or the patience – to preserve my dolls as a child, but it’s encouraging to see that others are putting their collections to good use.

Do you have a unique collection or talent that you think could do some good for The Army?  Put it to use and do some good for someone else!

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.