• Shelley Henderson

The Salvation Army Serves With Partners in West Virginia

Clendenin, WV (July 9, 2016)—When disaster strikes a community, The Salvation Army is there, working with community partners and agencies to help families and individuals get back on their feet.

“We are part of the solution,” said Major Brooks Gilliam, Incident Commander for the West Virginia Salvation Army Emergency Disaster flood response. “One organization cannot do it all, but working together we can use our strengths to help people as they put their lives back together.”

Since the floodwaters swept through parts of West Virginia on June 23, The Salvation Army has coordinated with community partners and state and local government to meet the immediate needs of food and hydration for families and individuals. Some of our close partners are the Red Cross and the Southern Baptist Association volunteers. The Southern Baptist mobile kitchens have the capacity to prepare large quantities of food for partner agencies to take to the community. The Salvation Army, with its mobile feeding units (also known as canteens) staffed by employees and volunteers, deliver the prepared food to those who need it the most, offering the healing words of prayer along with a meal.

For the past two weeks, meals were delivered by The Salvation Army to the Queen Shoals Community Church. The area, including the church, was underwater after the floods swept through. Members of the community and workers come to The Salvation Army canteen for food and water every day; without the canteens people would not have access to food.

“If it hadn’t been for these meals we wouldn’t be halfway where we are in rebuilding,” said Scott Dean, pastor of the Queen Shoals Community Church. “The closest town where there is food is an hour drive. For us to drive there and back for food is losing valuable time in getting the community back in order and we have a lot of work to do.”

At the height of the West Virginia disaster response, The Salvation Army had 13 mobile feeding kitchens on the road, delivering food, drinks, and prayers to survivors. Our prayers are with the people of West Virginia and we will continue to work with partners to meet the needs—physical and emotional—of the community.

The best way to help survivors and relief workers is through financial contributions, which allow disaster responders to immediately meet the needs of disaster survivors.

How to help your neighbors
• By phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)

• Online: disaster.salvationarmyusa.org

• By mail: Send your gift to The Salvation Army Disaster Relief   PO BOX 1490 Clarksburg, WV  26302-1490 or to your local Salvation Army unit.  Please make checks payable to "The Salvation Army" and clearly mark your gift “June 2016 West Virginia Floods”.

• By Text: Text STORM to 51555 to receive a donation link for easy mobile giving