• Laine Hendricks

Assistance Continues for Survivors of Recent San Francisco Fires

San Francisco, CA (February 5, 2015):  The City and County of San Francisco, The Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross, along with other local partners, are continuing their service to nearly 100 individuals affected by recent building fires.      

On Friday, The Salvation Army opened its doors at the San Francisco Mission Corps Community Center for the Red Cross to administer a shelter for those survivors of the Mission, Hyde and Alamo Square fires. Also, the Mission Corps was the weekend location for the Local Assistance Center (LAC), which provided case management support to the fire survivors (ongoing casework is being managed by the Red Cross at an offsite location – for assistance, call 415-427-8010). So far, 39 individuals have been housed overnight for 6 nights, with other survivors and extended family taking refuge at the Mission Corps during the day.

In addition to providing a secure facility for the shelter, The Salvation Army is managing feeding operations for the response effort, providing breakfast, lunch and dinner for 75 survivors and shelter volunteers.  To date, The Salvation Army has served nearly 960 meals since the shelter opened on January 30. 

While The Salvation Army prepared the meals for the first three days, local restaurants have stepped up to alleviate some of the burden and are taking turns providing meals for Salvation Army volunteers to serve at the shelter. Some of San Francisco’s hottest dining and food establishments have committed to the task, including Tartine Bakery, BiRite Market, Tacolicious, HeyDay Restaurant, Sprig, Delfina, Good Eggs and more.

“I must tell you what a wonderful treat it is to be providing the survivors with such fine foods,” said John McKnight, Disaster, Emergency and Disaster Services for The Salvation Army’s Golden State Division. “They have been through so much, and this generosity by local restaurants is giving the survivors healthy food to eat, and great meals to share as a community.”

Salvation Army officers, staff and volunteers have been supporting the shelter, in partnership with the Red Cross, and all activities on site.  In addition, Salvation Army volunteers have gone the extra mile to provide comfort to the survivors. On the first day back to school after the fire, volunteers acquired new backpacks, supplies and lunch bags for the children in the shelter – even packing lunches for the kids to alleviate the burden for their parents.  On Sunday, volunteers provided a special dinner of homemade Tamales and other goodies and a big screen television so families could watch the Super Bowl together.  Also,  The Salvation Army has issued over $1,300 in assistance so evacuees can acquire school clothes, dress code appropriate clothing for work, etc.  Above all, Salvation Army officers, caseworkers and volunteers have been a source of emotional support during this difficult time.

“We have been blessed to be a position to help a lot of people,” said McKnight. “Long after this shelter closes, we will continue to support this population as we know recovery will take time.”

Donations:
The best way to help fire survivors and rescue workers is to make a financial contribution. Monetary donations allow disaster responders to immediately meet the specific needs of disaster survivors. There are a variety of ways public can support The Salvation Army’s Mission Fire disaster relief efforts:

Online:   Visit http://salar.my/ewNl69

Phone: Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY - Designate gift "The San Francisco Mission Fire”

Mail:  Designate "The San Francisco Mission Fire” on check/money order, mail to:

The Salvation Army
P.O. Box 193465
San Francisco, CA. 94119-3465

The community has been extremely generous in providing donations of clothing, toys, games and toiletries to support the evacuees.  Because of the small size of the shelter facility, the public is discouraged from dropping off donations directly at 1156 Valencia, because there is not adequate space to store them.  Rather, please direct all donations of goods to The Salvation Army at 1500 Valencia (drop off at rear of building, at 26th Street & San Jose Avenue), which is accepting donations for fire relief.

About The Salvation Army:
Since 1883, The Salvation Army has been serving the San Francisco Bay Area, offering practical support, spiritual comfort and a critical safety net to people in need.  The Army has 16 facilities throughout San Francisco providing a myriad of services, including youth programs, meal delivery, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, transitional housing, and nutritional and housing support for seniors.  In addition, the Army also provides disaster relief services. For more information on Salvation Army activities in San Francisco and the Bay Area, visit online at: http://www.sanfrancisco.salvationarmy.org/

The Salvation Army Mission Corps, located in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District, has been serving the Mission neighborhood for over 120 years, providing senior meal and activity programs; youth afterschool and tutoring programs; summer day-camp for kids; a weekly food pantry; on-site caseworker for social service assistance and referrals; youth/teen character building programs; men’s and women’s fellowship groups; worship services and more.

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