by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Salvation Army bell-ringers are ringing for a good cause and reminding one and all of the admonition “There but for fortune go you or I.”
The bell-ringing goal this Christmas season is to raise $429,000 overall, with about $200,000 of that raised directly from kettle donations. The rest of the funds come from generous business, corporate and individual donations sent via the mail or online. Last year’s amounts raised were similar, just a tad lower.
People who come for help to the Salvation Army shelter, food shelf or community-meals program are all hurting in one way or another, most often because of a situation beyond their immediate control: loss of a job, inability to find a job, a personal trauma like divorce or a death in the family or any number of circumstantial difficulties.
The good news is those people – the overwhelming majority – do well once they have had a helping hand, and that is what they get thanks to the Salvation Army – a helping hand.
For example, of the people in the Salvation Army emergency-housing shelter since January 2016, 181 people who were at the 69-bed shelter during that 10-month period found some sort of housing that was considered suitable for themselves, such as rental units or being able to move in with a family member, friend or someone else.
Of those people, almost all of them had jobs (full- or part-time) during the time they needed a place to sleep and assistance to help them get back on their feet.
From January through October 2016, there were 400 people who stayed at the emergency shelter at one time or another, some longer than others. Of that number, 347 were men, 53 were women. There were 30 families at the shelter, with a total of 102 children, said Karla Rolfzen, SA program coordinator.
The shelter is more than just a bed for the night. Residents of the shelter are offered an entire range of classes that cover topics such as financial fitness, how to do a job interview, how to find and keep a rental unit, and other pertinent information that helps residents transition with confidence from homelessness to a secure place to live and a job to support themselves and their families. For more about programming, see “Programs” below in this story.
The emergency shelter, however, is only one of many SA programs that helps people get back on their feet and find productive ways to live.
The following are some of the other SA services:
Gifts/Toy Shop
The SA gives holiday toys and other gifts to economically-strapped families, and donations of gifts are always welcome.
This year, as every year, there is a shortage of gifts appropriate for teen-aged boys and girls. Such gifts can include make-up, flat irons, curling wands, perfume, cologne for boys, nail polish, ear buds, headphones, basketballs, soccer balls, skate boards and wallets.
Toys and gifts can be brought to the SA headquarters at 400 U.S. Hwy. 10 S., St. Cloud, Minn. 56304. For more options, see “How to donate” at the end of this story.
Community Lunch
The SA Community Lunch program has served 30,815 meals so far in 2016.
One relatively new feature of the lunch program is called PhilanthroFeed during which an area company foots the bill for a lunch, and then some of its staff and employees actually serve the meal in the SA lunch room.
People need not be staying at the emergency-housing shelter to partake of the daily noon meal. Anyone can just show up and enjoy a hot, nutritious dinner.
Volunteers are always needed.
Food Pantry
In the first 10 months of 2016, the SA Food Pantry distributed 506,064 pounds of food to 5,241 people.
That number includes 1,871 children.
There is a need for volunteers to help at the Food Pantry.
Learning programs
The SA works in close conjunction with outreach programs to help people who need a boost in their lives beyond the immediate needs of shelter, food and clothing.
There are the rental and financial fitness courses mentioned above, but in addition there are parenting classes (through St. Cloud School District), a Rebuilding Lives program (through Tri-Cap), weekly case management and goal-setting sessions to help with accountability, dentists who visit through “Operation Grace,” doctors and nursing students who visit the SA to address medical needs, a SMART Kids program for children in the shelter, a VA social worker who visits weekly to meet with veterans at the shelter and a veterans’ transitional-housing program.
There are also on-site resources at the SA headquarters, such as a room with computers and resume assistance, as well as help for applying for jobs online.
For more immediate needs, there are clothing vouchers available, school supplies for children and the Christmas gift program mentioned above.
New managers
The new managers of the St. Cloud Area Salvation Army are Major Mike Parker and his wife Cindy. They began their jobs at the SA last July after working for the SA in Mankato for seven years.
“I am so impressed with what’s going on here (at the St. Cloud SA),” said Major Mike during an interview with the Newsleaders for the story above.
The Parkers have four children and 11 grandchildren.
How to donate
One obvious way to donate is to put money and/or checks into the red kettles of the bell-ringers.
However, people can also mail checks to the Salvation Army, 400 U.S. Hwy. 10. S, St. Cloud, Minn. 56304 or drop them off at that address. Toys, gifts and non-perishable food items can also be dropped off at SA headquarters at that address. It’s across Hwy. 10 from the Cash Wise store and near Michael’s Restaurant.
Volunteers needed
There is always a holiday need for SA bell-ringers. Call Shannon Smithers at 320-252-4552 if you, your family or a club or organization are willing to spend a few hours bell-ringing at area stores.
Other volunteers needed year-round are people to work in the Food Pantry food shelf and at the Community Luncheon to help with serving meals and clean-up.
Money can also be donated by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or online at the SA website: salvationarmynorth.org.
There is also lots of information on that website about volunteer options and about the SA and its programs.
Ken Ramler of Sartell rings a Salvation Army bell on a warm-weather day, Nov. 28, in front of the Coborn’s Super Store in south Sartell. Ramler, who has rung the bell in previous years, is one of dozens ringing this year to help make the holiday season happier for the less fortunate.
Major Mike Parker and his wife, Cindy, began working at the St. Cloud Salvation Army last July after heading the one in Mankato for seven years. They said they are very impressed with the St. Cloud facility and its staff and volunteers, as well as its success in helping people get back on their feet after experiencing hard knocks.
Salvation Army volunteer Arlin Pocklington puts food items on the shelves of the Food Pantry food-shelf service, which distributed more than half-a-million pounds of food in the first 10 months of 2016.
