“We want to say thank you to all those who made our Christmas season a success. We raised $69,000 in our kettles as La Porte folks once again showed their generosity in a tremendous way.” says Envoy Greg Irwin of The Salvation Army of La Porte. But Greg also cautions “After the holiday season some people think The Salvation Army takes a break; No more bell ringing. No more Christmas kettles. We just wait until next year to help those in need. But nothing could be further from the truth!”
“Everyday The Salvation Army is there to assist those in need with food, clothing and emergency assistance. With the help of our supporters, in 2013, we provided life-saving services to literally hundreds of families in desperate need.”
With the slow comeback of the economy and the recent food stamp budget cuts, the most vulnerable among us are still at-risk; nearly half of all Americans now rate as poor or low-income according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “With persistently high unemployment, rising living costs and stagnating wages, there are many in our community who are hurting.”
Envoy Irwin reports for the coming year The Salvation Army of La Porte expects to . . .
- Provide assistance for rent, utility assistance, medicine and food for families in desperate need.
- Visit lonely, hurting people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities (through our Community Care Ministry) ― perhaps the only visits they’ll receive this year.
- Provide thousands of meals to hungry men, women and children here in La Porte.
- Give disadvantaged children the opportunity to experience summer camp at Little Pine Island Camp
Donations are still encouraged. “While we fell $6000.00 short of our kettle goal this year we are confident that the folks in La Porte will continue to assist us in our time of need. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends and neighbors. Thank you to all of the volunteers, church groups, and community organizations who work with us ‘to do the most good’ all year long.” Greg commented.
About The Salvation Army in La Porte
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to carry out those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org