Donations in action: Lonely kids, fleeing abuse, more

Two young siblings recently began attending our youth program. Outside of the program, the kids are often seen riding their bikes in our parking lot by themselves. One of our Salvation Army officers visited the children’s home and found that they are living without furniture, guidance or structure. It is clear that our program is beneficial to these two little children. They are able to come to a place where they know they will receive food, love and structure.

1. A desperate single father with two children came to see us. Despite having a job, the responsible young man had become homeless through no fault of his own. With our help, he went from being homeless to having a new apartment in less than 48 hours.
2. A distressed elderly woman stopped by in need of food and transportation. Her husband was scheduled for cancer treatment in the Twin Cities, but she had no way to get him there. In addition, the couple needed milk and toilet paper, but had no money to buy the supplies. Thankfully, we were able to pay for their transportation. And later that day, I stopped by their home to deliver toilet paper, milk and food.
3. A frantic young man had just been been evicted. When he came to see us, he was angry and upset. His attitude changed after I prayed with him. Once he calmed down, I learned he had a documented mental health issue. I shared with him where he could get assistance, a process I promised to walk him through while it played out during the next several days. In the interim, we were able to put him up in a hotel.

A woman who had been volunteering at our food shelf suddenly needed help after fleeing domestic abuse and becoming homeless. She had been staying with her daughter after recently moving to Minnesota from the southern U.S. She was working nights at a gas station, saving money for a place of her own.

While staying with her daughter, her daughter’s father would come over and abuse her physically and mentally. She had to leave the home because neither she nor her daughter could stop him.

She and I called five domestic abuse shelters, but all were full. At that point I was able to put her up in a hotel for three days. I also gave her some numbers to other shelters, which she called twice a day.

At the end of her hotel stay, she stopped by to tell me that although she still couldn’t find room at a free shelter, she found an affordable hotel she could stay at for $150 per week. This was a suitable temporary fix, and she was very thankful for the help The Salvation Army gave her to make it possible.

This woman is a special lady with a very strong faith. She believes God will guide her through this, which keeps her smiling.

One afternoon at our hot lunch program, I said “Hi, how are you?” in Spanish to an older Hispanic man waiting in line for a meal. I recognized him because I had signed him up for our food shelf a month before. To my surprise, he replied in good English and began telling me his story.

The man left Mexico in 1970 to look for work in America so that he could send money home to his family. After spending years working all kinds of jobs in states across the country, he eventually found himself broke and unemployed. He stopped contacting his family because he felt too ashamed about not having any more money to send home.

I asked him how he ended up in Minnesota. He said a friend brought him here years ago after he’d been drifting from city to city. He still drifts from job to job and struggles to find food every day. But he said he’s more content now because he lives with housemates in situations similar to his.

As a Salvation Army social worker, my hope is that the help I give him leads to him finding more stability. Should he choose to accept job counseling, spiritual outreach, referrals to other service providers, and additional support, there is still a chance he can stabilize and reconnect with his family.