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SALVATION ARMY BEGINS SERVICE DEPLOYMENT AHEAD OF HURRICANE SANDY LANDFALL MOBILE FEEDING UNITS SERVING AT SHELTERS
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Released 30 October 2012
Source: Salvation Army, National Headquarters Xenophon Strategies
Media Relations Bob Brady Blake Rhodes
mediarelations@usn.salvationarmy.org bbrady@xenophonstrategies.com brhodes@xenophonstrategies.com
(703) 400-3247 (202) 680-4951 (415) 531-9586
Local Contact: Salvation Army, Milwaukee County
Faithe Colas, Community Relations Director
Faithe_colas@usc.salvationarmy.org
414-531-6363
Salvation Army Begins Service Deployment Ahead of Hurricane Sandy Landfall
Mobile Feeding Units Serving at Shelters; Prepared to Serve Thousands of Meals in Wake of Historic Storm
Alexandria, Virginia (October 29, 2012) – As Hurricane Sandy moves on-shore Monday and into
Tuesday, The Salvation Army is already beginning feeding operations at
shelters along the East Coast. Additionally, dozens of mobile feeding
units, able to serve thousands of meals, are stocked and ready to deploy
into the most heavily impacted areas once it is safe to do so in
coordination with emergency management officials. Crews will provide
food, hydration, clean-up kits as well as emotional and spiritual care.
“The
Salvation Army is mobilized and ready to serve,” said Major George
Hood, National Community Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army in
the United States. “Our mobile feeding units and staff are strategically
positioned and already beginning to serve at shelter locations
throughout the East Coast.”
Specific Salvation Army activities include:
·
In New Jersey, The Salvation Army is serving meals, snacks and drinks
at 11 shelters in five counties. A full fleet of emergency response
vehicles is ready to deploy if needed. This includes 10 fully-stocked
mobile feeding units (canteens), two service vehicles, and one mobile
command unit. A canteen is embedded with Task Force 1, the State's
official search and rescue team, at Lakehurst Naval Base and may travel
with them as they are deployed throughout the state.
· In New
York, The Salvation Army is coordinating with the local American Red
Cross to provide volunteer support for shelters throughout Suffolk
County. Eight canteens are equipped and ready to be deployed from the
northern and western parts of the state.
· In Philadelphia,
PA, The Salvation Army is working closely with the Philadelphia Office
of Emergency Management to ready three shelters within the city to help
ensure those impacted by Hurricane Sandy will have access to essential
services and safety.
· In North Carolina, Salvation Army
volunteers worked for 34 hoursfeeding residents at a shelter in Morehead
City. The Salvation Army in New Bern also served evacuees at a local
shelter. Eight volunteers and two officers prepared 120 meals.
·
In Virginia, The Salvation Army in Hampton Roads has been providing
shelter since Saturday evening. A shelter in downtown Norfolk has served
350 meals and distributed 70 hygiene kits so far.
· In
Maryland, The Salvation Army of Salisbury served lunch to more than 200
persons at a shelter on Sunday. The Army is also in assisting with
sheltering and feeding activities in Annapolis and other parts of the
state.
· The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas
in the storm’s path to stay informed of and heed all warnings and
evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a
three-to-five day supply of food and water for each member of your
family as well as flashlights, medication and battery powered radios.
The
Salvation Army maintains a fleet of disaster vehicles and supply
warehouses across the United States to enable speedy mobilization. There
are more than 300 emergency response vehicles in the eastern and
southern United States alone and nearly 600 units nationwide.
In addition to food, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care, The Salvation Army is also prepared to provide:
• Clean-up kits containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies
• Hygiene kits
• Shower units
• First-aid supplies
• Communications support
The
Salvation Army also provides a ministry of presence provides
compassionate care to residents looking for hope in the midst of
turmoil. Pastoral care is available for all those impacted, but is not a
prerequisite for receiving assistance. The Salvation Army encourages
all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay informed of and heed
all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals
recommend having a three to five day supply of food and water for each
member of your family as well as flashlights, medication and battery
powered radios.
The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by this disaster to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). Donors may also contribute $10
via their phone bill by text messaging the word STORM to 80888, and
confirming the donation with the word, “Yes.” * At this point, in-kind
donations, such as used clothing and used furniture, are not being
accepted for hurricane relief. However, these items are vital to
supporting the day-to-day work of your local Salvation Army. Please
consider giving these items to your local Salvation Army Family Store or
dial 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).
For more information on The Salvation Army’s preparation and response to Tropical Storm Isaac, please visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/, www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus.
###
About The Salvation Army
The
Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church
established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His
name without discrimination for more than 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 The Salvation Army
spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities
nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
*A
one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or
deducted from your prepaid balance. Message & Data Rates May Apply.
All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider.
Service is available on Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and TMobile.
By participating you certify that you agree to the terms and conditions,
that you are 18 yrs. or older, or have parental permission, and have
authorization from the account holder. Donations are collected for the
benefit of The Salvation Army by the Innovative Giving Foundation and
subject to the terms found at igfn.org/t. Privacy policy: igfn.org/p. Text STOP to 80888 to stop; Text HELP to 80888 for help.