Progress CHARITIES & FAITH
“
Services
willbenot cut. People are in need.”
A Salvation Army prayer group meets at the intersection of Clark Street and North Broadway. The prominent, dark building in the background is at 102 W. Clark St. — the present location of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
DOOR DOOR by
This is the door at 341 S. Broadway. It is the home of the United Way of Freeborn County and also the entrance to U.S. Bank in Albert Lea.
A Salvation Army band plays next to a kettle at the intersection of South Broadway and William Street sometime during the 1940s. Photo courtesy Freeborn county historical MuseuM
It’s more than just at Christmas time; Salvation Army serves all year long By Cathy Hay
news@albertleatribune.com
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lbert Lea Salvation Army Maj. Elsie Cline pulls out a 32-pound box of food from a rack of similar packages in the local food pantry. Inside the box are cans of vegetables, a bag of pasta shells, a jar of peanut butter, a box of au gratin potatoes, Crunch Honey Oats cereal, chicken broth, a can of tuna and more items to help a family stretch its groceries. The family will also receive fresh fruit, vegetables and meat, the exact items depending on recent donations. On average, 15 to 30 families stop at the local Salvation Army food pantry every day during the week. The numbers rise at the beginning and end of the month. To qualify, families must complete paperwork once a year, providing a driver’s license, income information and identification of family members. The food is donated by Hy-Vee, MarketPlace Foods, Walmart, Kwik Trip, Mrs. Gerry’s, other businesses and churches. Individuals also give food, and March will be the big food drive month. Ruby’s Pantry, an outreach of Home and Away ministries, also provides food, and the local Salvation Army uses monetary donations to place orders from the Channel One food bank. The boxes are given by Minnesota Corrugated Box. “Their generosity is much appreciated,” Cline said, holding her arms out to encompass all the donors. All that food added up to 181,667 pounds given to families last year, according to Office Manager Kathy Belshan. Cline came to the local Salvation Army in June of 2014. She has taken the lead since Capts. Jim and Lee Brickson recently left for Brooklyn Park. Cline grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania, graduated from Salvation Army officer training in 1982 and has served in several states and countries. She is fluent in Spanish and strives to offer bilingual services, including conversational English classes on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. The Salvation Army is there with food when people suffer from hunger, with utility assistance when winter is long and funds are short, with help when disaster strikes and with ministries and counseling when people are struggling. At the local center on Court Street and the
11,728
Meals served by the Salvation Army on Wednesdays in 2014.
thrift store on Bridge Avenue, people can find clothing, furniture, household items, personal needs and Christmas assistance. The army also provides a free community meal once a week on Wednesdays — 11,728 meals total in 2014 — and an annual Thanksgiving dinner — 402 served last year. For youth, the Salvation Army offers Centershot (archery infused with Bible study) and character-building classes. All those services require an army of helpers. “We need volunteers, volunteers and more volunteers,” Cline said. The Salvation Army needs people to help with youth classes, whether working with the kids or making food in the kitchen. The thrift store on Bridge Avenue needs help sorting items. The weekly meal requires volunteers to prepare, serve and clean up. The food pantry needs workers to sort food, stack items and fill boxes. It also needs food donations, especially staples like cereal, macaroni and cheese, cans of tuna and spaghetti sauce. And it needs volunteers to ring bells and collect money in the iconic red kettles during the holiday season. Thanks to the generosity of the community, the Salvation Army raised nearly $114,000 from the kettles alone, but it came up about $39,000 short of its overall $298,000 fundraising goal. That doesn’t mean the Salvation Army will short its services. “Services will not be cut,” Cline said. “People are in need and we’ll try to save in other ways — turning off the lights — however we need to. We will not cut services.” In addition to raising money and recruiting volunteers, the Salvation Army faces some long-term obstacles locally. One is lack of space. With the growing need for the food pantry, Cline would like to expand it to the building next door. The current center on Court Street also needs to be made handicap-accessible. While the Salvation Army is known for its red kettle campaign before Christmas, the need for help permeates all seasons. “We don’t need volunteers just at Christmas time but all year-round,” Cline said. The Salvation Army is centered in Jesus Christ, and all its outreach stems from its church. “People are always welcome at worship on Sundays,” Belshan said. Nationally, the Salvation Army operates See SERVE, Page 6
4,992 181,667
Toys given at Christmas by the Salvation Army in 2014.
Pounds of food distributed by the pantry at the Salvation Army in 2014.
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