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Released 20 April 2009
The Salvation Army travels by airboat to deliver fruit, flowers to 50 farm households stranded by flood waters
ROSEVILLE, Minn. - As flood waters have lowered, The Salvation Army has been able to spend more time serving isolated Red River Valley communities.
Today, near the Canadian border in northeast North Dakota, The Salvation Army dropped off food and water to volunteers frantically building dikes in the tiny towns of Cavalier, Pembina and Neche. Last night, in the eastern North Dakota town of Lisbon, The Salvation Army brought blankets, water and snacks to emergency volunteers unprepared to sleep in the city fire hall.
In addition, The Salvation Army is providing long-term service in Oslo, Minn., a community 25 miles north of Grand Forks., N.D. that has been surrounded by water since early March. A Salvation Army mobile office has been set up in this town of 350 residents for full-time case workers to provide assistance for no less than three weeks.
Tomorrow, Salvation Army staff and volunteers will board an airboat and travel within a 10-mile radius of Oslo to deliver fruit and flowers to approximately 50 farm households stranded by flood waters.
"Many of these households have been without fresh produce for weeks," said Major Ed Wilson, administrator of the nearby Grand Forks Salvation Army.
In addition to serving physical needs, The Salvation Army has three trained Emotional and Spiritual Care staff members on hand to serve distressed residents of Oslo and the surrounding area.
To date, The Salvation Army's flood response in Minnesota and North Dakota has provided 235,000 instances of service to survivors and responders. With 10 mobile feeding units, the Army has served 116,000 meals, 400,000 drinks and snacks, and distributed 2,100 clean up kits.
About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. 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. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org. To donate, please call 800-SAL-ARMY, or mail a check to 2445 Prior Ave. N., Roseville, MN 55113.
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