Source: Salvation Army, National
Headquarters Xenophon Strategies
Media Relations Bob
Brady Blake Rhodes
mediarelations@usn.
(703) 400-3247 (202) 680-4951 (415) 531-9586
Local Contact: Salvation Army, Milwaukee County
Faithe Colas, Community Relations Director
Faithe_colas@usc.
Salvation Army Begins Service Deployment
Ahead of Hurricane Sandy Landfall
Mobile Feeding Units Serving at
Shelters; Prepared to Serve Thousands of Meals in Wake of Historic
Storm
Alexandria, Virginia (October 29, 2012)
– As Hurricane Sandy moves on-shore Monday and into Tuesday, The
Salvation Army is already beginning feeding operations at shelters along the
East Coast. Additionally, dozens of mobile feeding units, able to serve
thousands of meals, are stocked and ready to deploy into the most heavily
impacted areas once it is safe to do so in coordination with emergency
management officials. Crews will provide food, hydration, clean-up kits as well
as emotional and spiritual care.
“The Salvation Army is
mobilized and ready to serve,” said Major George Hood, National Community
Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army in the United States. “Our
mobile feeding units and staff are strategically positioned and already
beginning to serve at shelter locations throughout the East Coast.”
Specific Salvation Army activities include:
· In New Jersey, The
Salvation Army is serving meals, snacks and drinks at 11 shelters in five
counties. A full fleet of emergency response vehicles is ready to deploy if
needed. This includes 10 fully-stocked mobile feeding units (canteens), two
service vehicles, and one mobile command unit. A canteen is embedded with Task
Force 1, the State's official search and rescue team, at Lakehurst Naval Base
and may travel with them as they are deployed throughout the state.
· In New York, The Salvation
Army is coordinating with the local American Red Cross to provide volunteer
support for shelters throughout Suffolk County. Eight canteens are equipped and
ready to be deployed from the northern and western parts of the state.
· In Philadelphia, PA, The
Salvation Army is working closely with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency
Management to ready three shelters within the city to help ensure those
impacted by Hurricane Sandy will have access to essential services and
safety.
· In North
Carolina, Salvation Army volunteers worked for 34 hoursfeeding residents at a
shelter in Morehead City. The Salvation Army in New Bern also served evacuees
at a local shelter. Eight volunteers and two officers prepared 120 meals.
· In Virginia, The Salvation
Army in Hampton Roads has been providing shelter since Saturday evening. A
shelter in downtown Norfolk has served 350 meals and distributed 70 hygiene
kits so far.
· In
Maryland, The Salvation Army of Salisbury served lunch to more than 200 persons
at a shelter on Sunday. The Army is also in assisting with sheltering and
feeding activities in Annapolis and other parts of the state.
· The Salvation Army
encourages all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay informed of
and heed all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals
recommend having a three-to-five day supply of food and water for each member
of your family as well as flashlights, medication and battery powered
radios.
The Salvation Army maintains a fleet of disaster vehicles
and supply warehouses across the United States to enable speedy mobilization.
There are more than 300 emergency response vehicles in the eastern and southern
United States alone and nearly 600 units nationwide.
In addition to
food, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care, The Salvation Army is also
prepared to provide:
• Clean-up kits containing
brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies
• Hygiene kits
• Shower units
• First-aid supplies
• Communications support
The Salvation Army also provides a ministry of presence provides
compassionate care to residents looking for hope in the midst of turmoil.
Pastoral care is available for all those impacted, but is not a prerequisite
for receiving assistance. The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas
in the storm’s path to stay informed of and heed all warnings and
evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a three to
five day supply of food and water for each member of your family as well as
flashlights, medication and battery powered radios.
The Salvation
Army asks people who want to help those affected by this disaster to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY
(1-800-725-2769). Donors may also contribute $10 via their phone bill by text
messaging the word STORM to 80888, and confirming the donation with the word,
“Yes.” * At this point, in-kind donations, such as used clothing
and used furniture, are not being accepted for hurricane relief. However, these
items are vital to supporting the day-to-day work of your local Salvation Army.
Please consider giving these items to your local Salvation Army Family Store or
dial 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).
For more information on The
Salvation Army’s preparation and response to Tropical Storm Isaac, please
visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/, www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus.
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About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an
evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in
1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for
more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive
assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of
social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for
disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill,
clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged
children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support
those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
*A one-time
donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your
prepaid balance. Message & Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by
and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on Verizon
Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and TMobile. By participating you certify that you
agree to the terms and conditions, that you are 18 yrs. or older, or have
parental permission, and have authorization from the account holder. Donations
are collected for the benefit of The Salvation Army by the Innovative Giving
Foundation and subject to the terms found at igfn.org/t. Privacy policy: igfn.org/p. Text STOP to 80888 to stop; Text HELP to 80888
for help.