• Dulcinea Cuellar Kimrey

Florida Salvation Army Deploys Reinforcements For Pasco County Flooding

Lutz, Fla. (August 4, 2015) - The Salvation Army of Florida is sending additional teams of volunteers and canteens, or kitchens on wheels, to help assist first responders and survivors after this weekend’s record rainfall.

Along with deploying its eight-unit shower truck to the evacuation shelter at First Presbyterian Church, 7540 Ridge Road in Port Richey, The Salvation Army has also gathered more than two dozen volunteers to help.

Jeanne Coulter, social services director for the Pasco county Salvation Army, said teams will serve until the end of this week. She said she will meet with the county and other partner agencies on Friday to discuss long-term recovery. Coulter is also working with county officials who will direct The Salvation Army on when it can deliver meals to residents who have been affected by the flooding.

“I’ve lived here for 35 years and I’ve never seen flooding like this,” she said, echoing what many government officials have said. “This is my hometown and we care about our neighbors.”

Along with being stationed at the county center in Pasco county, Coulter said Salvation Army volunteers are also serving hot meals at its Center of Hope, 8040 Washington St, Port Richey.

Center of Hope offers a daily community meal, feeding 100 residents every day. Volunteers are working tirelessly not only with the community meal but with assisting first responders at the Emergency Operations Center.

“We do this because (this disaster) could have easily been you or me,” she said. “We help because we have a devotion to our community, we have a love of others and it’s in The Salvation Army’s DNA.”

The best way to help survivors and relief workers is to make a financial contribution. Monetary donations allow disaster responders to immediately meet the specific needs of disaster survivors as the need continues to be assessed.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by the flooding in the Tampa Bay Area to visit disaster.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

• A $10 donation feeds a disaster survivor for one day
• A $30 donation provides one food box, containing staple foods for a family of four, or one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies
• A $100 donation can serve snacks and drinks for 125 survivors and emergency personnel at the scene of a disaster
• A $250 donation can provide one hot meal to 100 people or keep a hydration station operational for 24 hours
• A $500 donation keeps a Salvation Army canteen (mobile feeding unit) fully operational for one day

At this point, in-kind donations are not being accepted. Used clothing and used furniture are seldom required during an incident. However, these gifts are vitally important in 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 the latest emergency disaster services news, please visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and follow the EDS team on Twitter @SalArmyEDS.

# # #

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.