The Salvation Army’s Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi Division continues to provide services to those still trying to get their feet on the ground after at least 9 tornadoes damaged various parts of Alabama and Mississippi. As of Thursday afternoon, The Salvation Army has provided approximately 13,357 meals, 16,784 drinks, 10,202 snacks, 25 mobile feeding units, 147 people shelter, 439 individuals with spiritual/emotional care, and 144 comfort kits.
Out of the 25 mobile feeding units (canteens) assisting with tornado relief, 16 units have come from the ALM Division. The Salvation Army mobile feeding units can serve anywhere from 500 – 1,500 meals a day. Canteens are currently roaming the streets of communities in Pearl, Richland, Louisville, Tupelo, Sandersville, Columbus, and Itawamba County, Miss. and Bessemer, Etowah County, Mobile, and Athens, Ala. These “meals on wheels” are critical in order to get hot meals and cold water to hard-hit areas where many people are still without food, electricity and transportation.
Jason Scarborough, Resource Development Specialist of The Salvation Army Jackson Corps has been in Pearl, Miss. since Tuesday morning helping serve others. “The Salvation Army is currently doing what we do best in times of need, whether it’s serving a meal to those without power, offering a bottle of water to emergency personnel, or offering a word of encouragement – The Salvation Army is there and helping those affected,” Scarborough said. His service hits close to home after being a victim in the tornado that hit Brandon, Miss. in 1992. Scarborough says one of his fondest memories of that devastating time in his life was when a member of The Salvation Army fed him a warm meal.
With most needs established in the ALM Division, the Gulf Coast communities in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle are being watched closely as they continue to encounter extreme flooding as a result of the heavy rainfall this past week. The ALM Division is prepared to assist the Florida Panhandle area if the need for assistance ascends.
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The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865. 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: http://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org
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