Get documents about "Rita newsletter2
Document Sample
THE SALVATION ARMY
DOING THE MOST GOOD
H U R R I CA N E R I TA :
R E S P O N S E & R E C O V E R Y
SEPTEMBER—OCTOBER, 2005
SALVATION ARMY WORKERS BRINGING HOPE AND HELP
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Immediately after Hurricane Rita
blew over southeast Texas and
FRUITFUL 2 southwest Louisiana, Salvation Army
PARTNERSHIP volunteers, staff and officers were
here offering practical help to relief
RITA STORM 2 workers and residents as they began
TRACK MAP the recovery process.
The first mobile canteens were out
KEY CLUBS 3 delivering meals the Saturday follow-
LEND A HAND ing the storm. Salvation Army can-
teens provided a lifeline for many
SERVING THOSE
residents without water or electricity.
3
WHO SERVE “An older couple came up to the
canteen one day, and you could tell
by the way they were dressed they
VOLUNTEERS 3
COME FROM had nothing,” said Clive Canfield, a
FAR AND WIDE volunteer from Brampton, Canada.
“We gave them each a meal and
HOW TO HELP 4 then a third one to share later, and I The Salvation Army was able to Agencies coordinating the re-
told Dan to give them a loaf of keep people informed of where sponse distributed our informa-
bread. When he gave them the to go for help through coopera- tion in information packets
bread, they both broke down and tion with local media and with handed out at their distribution
cried.” agencies in the incident com- points and plotted our canteen
mand team. locations on maps posted
After receiving ice and a hot meal at throughout the area.
The Salvation Army Corps building in Local radio and TV stations
Beaumont, one man commented, “I broadcast the locations of our “It helps us to know what The
FACTS & FIGURES
sure appreciate what y’all are doing. canteens and aid points; local Salvation Army is doing, so we
SOUTHEAST TEXAS
We’d be in pretty bad shape other- papers printed information can pass the word along,” said
wise.” about what we were doing and
• From September 23 (HOPE, page 2)
where people could go for help.
through October 30,
Salvation Army can- THE SALVATION ARMY & SOUTHERN BAPTIST TEXAS CONVENTION
teens gave out more A FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIP
than 410,000 hot
meals. One great example of ef- With a common mission,
the two groups teamed up.
fective collaboration is The
• Salvation Army volun- Salvation Army’s partner- The Salvation Army sup-
teers served more than ship with the Southern plied food, the Baptist
21,000 hours. Baptist Texas Convention. kitchen cooked it, and can-
teen crews took it through-
The two groups frequently out the area to relief work-
• Salvation Army staff cooperate during disaster
and volunteers working ers and local residents.
responses. After Hurricane Rita hit, the SBTC Dis-
out of the Southeast aster Relief ’Strike Force’ crew responded immedi- Capt. Dan Ford, Corps officer in Beaumont, praised the
Texas command have ately to the southeast Texas area and set up a work of the SBTC during the disaster response. “We’re
provided aid to families kitchen at Ford Park. At the same time, Salvation blessed to have such a great partnership.” he added.
in six counties. Army mobile feeding canteens were arriving, ready
(PARTNERSHIP, page 2)
to deliver food to areas in need.
HURRICANE RITA: RESPONSE & RECOVERY Page 2
Hope_________________________________________________ from Page 1
FEMA information officer Larry the Southeast Texas Food corporation, drove from Mi-
Duchek. Bank, the Houston Food Bank ami to shuttle trailer loads of
and the Midwest Food Bank. ice and water from Baton
Agencies, businesses and
Rouge to Beaumont.
churches sent donations of all Other donations came from
kinds to The Salvation Army to Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Burger “We know what these people
ensure their contributions King, and Marathon Oil, to are going through,” said
reached people in need. name a few. Anhueser Busch Manuel. “We went through it
contributed several truckloads ourselves, and we want to
The Texas State Bank donated
of canned water. help.”
the unused portion of their disas-
ter aid fund, approximately The most important part of our The responses from people
$32,000, to The Salvation Army response in a disaster, how- receiving help have been
so the money would continue to ever, centers around people repeated over and over:
help people. helping people out of love for “Thank you; you don’t know
God and their neighbor. how much this helps.”
We received government food
commodities, bulk supplies from Manuel and Miguel Alvarez, “We’re so glad you’re here.”
the military, and food boxes from working for the Burger King “God bless you.” Hurricane Rita made landfall
over southeast Texas and
southwest Louisiana on Sep-
Partnership_________________________________________________ from Page 1 tember 23 as a Category 3
storm.
Volunteers with the two us, though, and it’s
groups got along well. A great to know our work
few of the Baptist Men’s makes a difference.”
cooks even exchanged
their yellow hats and At Ford Park, the Bap-
shirts for Salvation Army tist kitchen was set up “It’s great to
red to serve on a canteen with seven gas-fired
convection ovens and
a few days. After cooking
seven 30-50 gallon know our
so many thousands of
meals, they wanted to kettles. Big pots need
meet some of the people big spoons—the cooks work makes
used canoe paddles
receiving it.
for stirring the stew! a difference.”
“We know it’s getting
there,” said SBTC cook It takes an efficient
Robert Childress. “We Salvation Army volunteer Mickey Kinney talks with a system to prepare 10-
just don’t get to visit with volunteer from Calvary Baptist Church. The SBTC Disas-20,000 meals in one
day and an efficient - Fred Seibolt,
the people.” ter Relief kitchen cooked, and The Salvation Army took
the meals out into surrounding communities to serve. system to get the food SBTC Disaster Relief
“We usually stay back at into the areas where
the camp and cook all day, so we don’t see where it’s most needed. Together, we were able to volunteer
the food goes,” said Fred Seibolt, a “yellow hat” help more people and also demonstrate a unity
from Richardson, Texas. “The canteen crews tell of spirit in our cooperation.
KEY CLUBS LEND A HAND PACKING GROCERY BOXES
Key Club members from West- "When you think about helping do something to help out," said
brook and Kelly high schools people, you think about the up- Dorian Walker.
have been putting together front things,” said Fatima
It’s not often they’re responding
grocery boxes at The Salvation Sevilla. "But this is more be-
to a disaster in their own com-
Army’s warehouse. hind-the-scenes," agreed Ira
munity, though.
Miranda.
In one weekend, 24 students
"This is kind of weird, because
contributed 94 volunteer hours. The Key Club is a youth branch
it's always been someone else,"
of the Kiwanis. Students volun-
"They're a great help," said said Melissa Hebert.
teer with church, civic and com-
Doug Warn, a Salvation Army
munity groups, assisting in a "You never expect it in your own
employee from Florida. Amruta Jonnalagadda, Key
wide variety of ways. place," agreed Roberto Hernan-
Club volunteer, packs a grocery
The job surprised some. dez. box with non-perishable foods.
“Whatever's going on, we try to
DOING THE MOST GOOD Page 3
SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE
While they’re working to en- had to relocate,” he said as he had Rita right after that,”
sure the safety of residents received debit cards from Capt. Mitchell said. “I thought I was
and relief workers, many local Eddie Alonzo of Corpus Christi. prepared until I had to evacuate
public servants also sustained “This will help just with taking my family.”
damage from Hurricane Rita. care of some of those ex-
The Salvation Army is making After providing security at the
penses.”
specific efforts to ensure they Joint Assistance Center,
“They’re helping us, and we’re Mitchell came with his unit, the
can access assistance.
glad to be able to help them,” 8th Brigade, to help with aid
Sgt. Douglas Heigley, of the Capt. Alonzo said later. distribution at The Salvation
Texas Department of Public Army’s warehouse in Beau-
Safety, received help from The Dennis Mitchell of Beaumont is
mont.
Salvation Army while working a member of a Texas State
security at an assistance cen- Guard unit headquartered out of “The main thing is, The Salva-
Nacogdoches. tion Army is taking care of busi-
ter.
ness,” commented Capt.
“My wife’s been off work; we “I’ve been in uniform since Au- Alonzo. “We’re here to help Guardsman Dennis Mitchell of
have three kids, and they’ve gust 25; we were doing drills Beaumont applies for aid at an
people, and we’re doing it.”
when Katrina hit, and then we assistance center.
VOLUNTEERS COME FROM FAR AND WIDE TO HELP
The response to Hurricane Rita near Toronto. “They’re appre- same simple reason: they all
has seen Salvation Army volun- ciative we came so far.” want to help.
teers and staff from across the
United States and Canada – Ed Possner came from Pasa- “I came to help people because “I didn’t have
dena to serve on a canteen. I got help,” said Ricardo
truly a coast-to-coast effort.
The city names on the canteens
One man said, “Man alive! You
came all the way from Califor-
Vasquez, a graduate and now
resident manager of the Adult
any money to
demonstrate this: Golden State nia?!” “I told him, ‘Yep, so I Rehabilitation Center in Grand
Santa Cruz; Kinston, North expect to see you after our next Rapids, MI. While in Texas, he give; all I had
Carolina; Green Bay, Wisconsin; earthquake,” Possner joked. worked on a canteen, giving out
and all over Texas—Austin,
“My accent is different,” said
hot meals. “The people I’m was my time.”
Sherman, Tyler, Harlingen... feeding, I can see myself in
Diane Reilly-Dolan, from Ste- some of them - when I was an
Many of the volunteers and vens Point, Wisconsin. “After
addict, when I was homeless.”
staff have received surprised one woman asked me where I - Diane Reilly-Dolan,
comments from residents who was from, she told her little boy, “We’re all children of God,” he
learn they have come from ‘They get snow up there!’ and said. Volunteer
such distances to help. he said, ‘What’s snow?’ When I
told him, he asked, ‘Can you Reilly-Dolan came as a first-
“People are surprised when time volunteer with The Salva-
send me some?’”
they hear I’m from Canada,” tion Army to help with the re-
said Tim Sharp, from Brampton, How far should one go to help a sponse. “I didn’t have any
neighbor in need? money to donate; all I had
was my time. The Salva-
“I think of the ques- tion Army would take me,
tion put to Jesus of
so I went.”
‘Who is my
neighbor?’” Possner Then I heard the voice of
said, “and your the Lord saying, “Whom
neighbor is every- shall I send? And who will
body.” go for us?”
As for why they come, And I said, “Here am I.
volulnteers have Send me!” (Is 6:8)
variations on the
Richard and Kathleen Scheider drove a canteen SHARING GOD’S LOVE
Chuck Censullo, Dianna Brown and Shannon
from their home in Atascadero, CA to Beaumont Lee drove from New Bern, NC and served dur-
and stayed for a month, serving hot meals. FROM COAST TO COAST
ing the first weeks of the response
THE SALVATION ARMY NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE PAID
BEAUMONT TX
Beaumont Corps
PERMIT NO. 53
2350 IH-10 East
Beaumont, TX 77703
PO Box 3706
Phone: 409-896-2361
Fax: 409-896-2362
The Salvation Army, an evan-
gelical part of the universal
Christian church, has been
supporting those in need in
His name without discrimina-
tion since 1865. Nearly 33
million Americans receive
assistance from The Salvation
Army each year through the
broadest array of social ser-
vices that range from provid-
ing food for the hungry, relief
for disaster victims, assis-
tance for the disabled, out-
reach to the elderly and ill,
clothing and shelter to the
homeless and opportunities
for underprivileged children.
About 83 cents of every dollar
raised is used to support
those services in nearly 9,000
www.SalvationArmyBeaumont.org
communities nationwide. For
more information, browse our
website.
DOING THE MOST GOOD IN BEAUMONT
The Salvation Army Corps The Salvation Army’s the needs that exist. In
in Beaumont offers aid to strength as an interna- many communities, in-
north Jefferson County tional organization comes cluding Beaumont, The
residents while also reach- to the forefront. The mili- Salvation Army operates
ing out to other parts of tary structure allows for ongoing programs from
the region, especially dur- fast, efficient deployment permanent facilities.
ing times of disaster. of people, equipment and
Staff and volunteers at the
resources to affected ar- Volunteers of all ages work together, serving
The Beaumont Corps co- Beaumont Corps are work- meals and drinks and providing other items to
eas. Ties between the dif-
operates regularly with ing hard during this time offer help and hope to residents working to re-
ferent branches of the build our community after Hurricane Rita.
The Salvation Army Corps to help our community
organization provide more
in Orange and Port Arthur. recover and rebuild. While
resources to draw from in Would you like to be part of this work?
The Salvation Army in repairing our own facili-
responding to the needs. Volunteer with The Salvation Army! Talk
Beaumont also works with ties, we will continue to with our Volunteer Coordinator, Renee
other corps and service In a disaster, The Salva- assist our neighbors in Turk or stop by one of our facilities. Our
units throughout the Texas tion Army is the first to go every way we can. website also lists volunteer opportunities.
Division and the Southern in and the last to leave. Would you like to contribute?
Is there a way you could
Territory. We stay as long as we Do the most good with your gift! Call
be involved? We can use
have resources to meet 1-800-SAL-ARMY, visit our website, or mail
In a disaster response, your help. a donation to the address above.
