KNOXVILLE, TENN. – The Salvation Army’s Knoxville Area Command has mobilized its disaster response unit (Canteen) to serve the areas of Sevier County affected by Monday’s wildfire near Gatlinburg. The unit is operating out of the organization’s Sevierville location.
Knoxville Area Commander, Major Todd Smith is overseeing The Salvation Army’s relief efforts. In a statement he said, "We’re calling on everyone to pray for all of those impacted by the devastating wildfires in Sevier County. Many of these impacted communities will take months or even years to recover. The Salvation Army is committed to being there with them throughout and providing aid wherever it’s needed.”
The Salvation Army is on the ground providing beverages and snacks as well as Emotional and Spiritual Care to those affected. Salvation Army leadership is working with TEMA and local Emergency Management Agencies to identify the needs of the survivors and assist them in any way possible. Additional mobile response vehicles and trained teams are on stand-by, ready to activate if necessary.
As needs are assessed, The Salvation Army encourages cash donations that will help provide food, water, and other necessities in the initial response while adding to the local, impacted economy.
Donors are encouraged to give online at http://give.salvationarmyusa.org/tennessee_wildfires or by calling 1-800-Sal-Army. Please designate donations for “Tennessee Wildfire Response” so 100% of designated gifts are used to provide relief for wildfire survivors.
There are several websites with up-to-date information on The Salvation Army’s relief efforts following these deadly wildfires: www.facebook.com/knoxredshield, www.twitter.com/knoxredshield and www.SalvationArmyKnoxville.org
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