More Than A Meal: Salvation Army Services Extend Along Florida's East Coast

(Jacksonville, Fla) October 9, 2016 - Vincent Tarazavich was exhausted.
He was evacuated from two different shelters as a result of Hurricane Matthew.
All he really wanted was a warm meal.
With a grateful smile he finally had a warm dinner – from a Salvation Army canteen stationed at the Legends Center, the last remaining evacuation shelter in Duval County.
With pockets of continued power outages in Flagler, Duval and Volusia counties, residents may be coming home to spoiled food in their refrigerators or freezers.  
“We are continuing to find residents who will need our help,” said Major Tim Gilliam, incident commander for The Salvation Army’s disaster services in northeast Florida.
The Salvation Army in Florida has served more than 16,000 meals since it began its Hurricane Matthew services.
During a disaster, The Salvation Army provides mass care including helping to feed displaced residents and all others impacted by an event. The Salvation Army works in tandem with government and other nonprofit partners to assess the needs of the community and help survivors.
On Sunday, The Salvation Army had 30 mobile canteens, or kitchen on wheels, stationed in Duval, Flagler, Volusia and Brevard counties.
Canteens are strategically placed where they are most needed. On Sunday afternoon, two canteens were in Flagler County where 73 percent of the population is still without power.
 For Lt. Ryan Meo, a corps officer from Tallahassee, working Hurricane Matthew  reminds him of Hurricane Hermine, the storm that hit his area just last month.
“While the two storms are very different, there is still a sense of similarity,” he said. “We still have people without the most basic comforts like food and something cold to drink.”
He said Hurricane Matthew reminds us to keep life in perspective.
“We tend to come together when things like this happen,” he said. “We start to see each other more as individuals and more aware of each other’s needs and how they can be comforted.”
How people can help:

The best way to help after a disaster is to make a financial donation to the charity of your choice.  Cash is flexible, can be used immediately in response to a crisis, and allows disaster relief organizations to purchase exactly what is needed, when it’s needed. Cash gives relief organizations the means to procure supplies near the affected area, which cuts down on transportation time and cost. Monetary contributions also support local economies and ensure that businesses can operate when relief supplies diminish.

It’s easy to support The Salvation Army’s disaster relief program:

·     Donate Online:                       http://give.salvationarmyusa.org/hurricane_matthew

·     Donate By Mail:                     The Salvation Army  PO BOX 1959  Atlanta, GA 30301 Please   designate 'Hurricane Matthew' on all checks.

·     Donate By Phone:                 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)

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