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Released 27 June 2011
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Salvation Army Hopes to
Reunite Families with Past at Joplin Lost And Found
Wauwatosa,
WI (June 27th, 2011) − Jim and Jackie Farrell of Willard, Mo.,
were on their 60-acre farm north of Springfield
when they came across an old 8x10 photo of a 2-year-old boy taken in March
2000. They believe the photo, mostly in good shape with just a few small holes,
was blown 70 miles from the town of Joplin, Mo., to their farm after
the tornado on May 22.
The EF-5
tornado that ripped through Joplin
packed winds of more than 200 mph and possibly peaked at 250 mph. It created a
path nearly a mile wide and six miles long in the middle of downtown. With
those high winds much of the area was destroyed and items such as this photo
were found throughout the region.
This photo
found its way to The Salvation Army after the Farrell’s cousin, Larry, read
that the Army had an area of lost and found items that people had dropped off
at its Oasis tent set up at the corner of 26th and Main St.
“I was
coming through the area traveling to Arkansas
and felt this was something I had to do. To locate this kid,” said Larry
Farrell. “It looked like a photo that had been given to a grandmother or family
member and I thought they might want it back. I did a little research, but
couldn’t find anything.”
Currently,
The Salvation Army has a tent at the site of its new thrift store that was
destroyed. The Army has been doing daily feedings, caseworkers have been
offering financial assistance, free supplies and an area for lost and found
filled with old photos and other items are inside the tent.
Change of
locations
On
Thursday, June 30, all Salvation Army Joplin Disaster Services operations will
move to the Army’s old thrift store 402
East 7th Street in Joplin, MO.
Those recovering from the tornado will be able to get financial assistance and
other supplies as Joplin
continues to recover.
Monetary
donations:
The best way to help Joplin
now is to call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or go to www.SalvationArmyUSA.org to make a
donation by credit card. Checks may be mailed to The Salvation Army, PO Box 21787, St.
Louis, MO 63109-0787.
Please designate the gift “Joplin Tornado.” Cell phone users may also text the
word JOPLIN to 80888 to make a $10 donation charged to their cell phone bill (text
and/or messaging charges may apply).
Donations of
used Household Goods and Clothing:
Due to the high expense and time demands associated with
delivering your gently-used household goods and clothing (gifts-in-kind), The
Salvation cannot guarantee that any individual gifts-in-kind donated now will
be sent to the disaster area. In time of disaster, our stores fill these needs
from existing, pre-sorted stock. By continuing to donate gently-used household
goods to your local Salvation Army store, you not only help your community, you
help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off
location, please go to www.satruck.org.
###
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. Nationally about 82 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.