• Philip Burn

Food Box Distribution to Complete Salvation Army Response Efforts in Southeast Texas

Beaumont, Texas (September 7, 2020) – More than a week after commencing extensive response efforts in Southeast Texas after Hurricane Laura, The Salvation Army is gradually demobilizing operations as power returns to many locations. Four mobile kitchens continued to serve meals on Monday, and plans are in place for food box distributions later this week.

Since Friday, August 28, The Salvation Army of Texas has served 107,411 meals, 68,172 drinks, 40,965 snacks in affected communities utilizing fourteen mobile kitchens. Trained staff and Emotional and Spiritual Care volunteers have prayed with 1,327 storm survivors.

Four Salvation Army mobile kitchens are serving food in the following fixed locations on Monday:

• Bridge City – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 945 W. Roundbunch Rd, Bridge City, TX
• Orange Corps – 1950 MLK Drive Orange, TX
• Vidor – 115 W. Bolivar St, Vidor, TX
• Deweyville High School – 171 TX-12, Deweyville, TX (TX-12 & HWY 87)

“We are very proud of the dedication and hard work of our Salvation Army staff and volunteers this week in Beaumont and the surrounding area. Several communities have been without power and our teams did a great job of providing hot-meals, water and encouragement to those affected by Hurricane Laura,” said Alvin Migues, Director of The Salvation Army Disaster Services in Texas. “In the space of ten days we have served more than 107,000 meals in very hot and humid conditions with heat advisories in place for several of those days. Thank you to each volunteer, employee and corporate partner who stepped up to make this response effort possible. Your efforts have made a difference in the lives of so many.”

The Salvation Army will coordinate two distribution sites this week:

• Tuesday, September 8: Vidor Distribution site located at Love and Truth Church (145 W Bolivar St, Vidor TX 77662).
• Wednesday, September 9: Deweyville Distribution site located at Deweyville High School (43200 HWY 87s, Orange, TX 77632). Volunteers needed.

At these locations, staff and volunteers will be passing out food boxes, frozen chicken, and other items as available. Set up at both locations will begin at 11 AM, and distribution to the public will take place between 12-3 PM. Volunteers are needed to support The Salvation Army distribution and can help from 11:30 AM-4 PM.

“Since August 31st, The Salvation Army has utilized local volunteers to assist with response initiatives in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. Many of these volunteers are associated with nonprofit service organizations, such as The Rotary Club of Beaumont and United Way of Beaumont, which focus on providing services to communities in need,” said Kathleen Kouns, Disaster Volunteer and Training Coordinator for The Salvation Army in Texas. “In addition to these service networks, The Salvation Army has worked closely with Exxon Mobil’s Public and Government Affairs Division to utilize employee volunteers as well as local Church groups and good Samaritans. With their help, communities within Orange, Newton, Jefferson, Jasper, Sabine, and Calcasieu Counties have received more than 107,000 meals from mobile food canteens and temporary distribution sites. Volunteers have also organized The Salvation Army disaster warehouse, located in Beaumont, to enable faster inbound and outbound deliveries of essential items.”

As The Salvation Army continues to reach communities in the Golden Triangle, volunteers play an essential role in day-to-day operations as well as long-term recovery initiatives. For more information on how to join efforts, please visit texaseds.volunteers@uss.salvationarmy.org or sign up for current volunteer positions available at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CAFAA2FA7F5C43-hurricane1.”

The best way to support the disaster work of The Salvation Army by making a financial donation at www.helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY. For the latest information please go to www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and watch for regular updates on our social media pages at www.facebook.com/salvationarmytexas/ and www.twitter.com/salarmytx.