As Roads Begin to Open and Volunteers Pour Into the Hardest Hit Areas of Putnam, Wilson and Davidson Counties The Salvation Army Continues to Serve

NASHVILLE, TN – Yesterday, as roads reopened and volunteers poured into the hardest-hit areas of our communities across Putnam, Wilson, and Davidson Counties, we remain amazed at the love and hope extended into those recovering from the storms. It doesn’t matter how long you have lived in Middle Tennessee, the people in our community have a true and deep understanding of what loving our neighbors is all about. The Salvation Army continues to serve hot meals and provide emotional and spiritual care to tornado survivors and those assisting with community recovery efforts.

While we know our meals and water are always welcome, it’s the spiritual and emotional care that we find people leaning on the most as they go into this sixth day. “We know that people’s emotional immune systems are depleted because they have experienced so much, but we are there to fill them up, as we recover together,” states Kimberly George, Salvation Army Assistant Public Information Officer.  

Most of the survivors we encounter speak of how God was with them throughout the morning on Tuesday, March 3rd. Major Stephen Story, Salvation Army Incident Commander, says, “A lady in Putnam County relayed how afraid she was for her daughter and son that lived in the path of the storm. Her children didn’t use regular broadcast local stations but relied on streaming TV services. She worried they wouldn’t be getting the weather information they needed. After calling multiple times with no answer, she finally said, “God you are going to have to wake them up.” Within minutes, her daughter called back and asked her what was wrong. The mother was then able to keep her family informed on where the storm was and stay connected to them throughout the event.”

The Salvation Army is constantly assessing how to best serve each of the unique communities in the Middle Tennessee area. “Currently, we are taking a look at the level of support needed in our 3 main geographic areas – Putnam County, Wilson County, and Davidson County – and working on getting some additional manpower in place. We are discussing how best to shift resources to better serve the needs in each community,” states Bo Sells, Salvation Army Operations Chief.

To date, The Salvation Army has served 4,086 meals along with 3,400 snacks and 4,730 beverages.  Over 884 individuals have received personal prayer support.

Frontline Services on March 8: The Salvation Army will have 9 Mobile Units, each capable of serving up to 1500 meals a day, throughout the 3 county area. Along with caring for the physical needs of our neighbors, The Salvation Army will have 16 officers, who are pastors, that can provide Emotional and Spiritual Care.  

For those in need:  

The Salvation Army will be serving meals, beverages and emotional and spiritual care with serving times beginning at 12:00pm and 4:00pm in the following areas:

East Nashville – The East Recreation Center located at 700 Woodland Street 

North Nashville and Germantown Areas- Hadley Park Community Center 

Hermitage/ Donelson Areas – 3720 James Kay Lane at the Hermitage Community Center and a roaming team in this community.

Mt. Juliet – Roaming teams will be serving throughout the neighborhoods.

Lebanon – Roaming teams will be serving throughout the neighborhoods.

Putnam County- Roaming teams will be serving throughout the neighborhoods.

How neighbors can help:

Financial Contributions are needed and most efficient. A cash donation allows charitable relief agencies to use monetary contributions to purchase exactly what disaster survivors need. Monetary contributions are also easy to get to the disaster area. One hundred percent of a disaster donation to The Salvation Army is used for disaster relief efforts for that event. Supplies can almost always be purchased locally at the disaster site and provide savings in multiple ways. Money used to purchase needed items locally can support local and state economies, helping local businesses and workers, which have suffered losses in the wake of the disaster event. 

If you would like to support efforts, please visit this link to donate.  For the latest updates on our disaster relief efforts, visit disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.  

For more information please contact Misty Ratcliff at 615-504-9128 or Misty.Ratcliff@uss.salvationarmy.org 

###