Donations in Action: Stoking a fire of hope
Written by Craig Dirkes, Salvation Army Northern Division writer/photographer
Many of the people The Salvation Army serves are in the middle of crazy, unpredictable circumstances. Their stories can be heartbreaking, uplifting, and everything in between.
Here are some of those stories, submitted by Salvation Army social workers and caseworkers from across Minnesota and North Dakota. Out of respect for the people involved, we are retelling these stories without using names.
If you have ever wondered how The Salvation Army uses your donations, here are some good examples:
Stoking the fire of hope
I am in the process of helping a family of five secure permanent housing. They have been homeless for about a year, trying to get an eviction expunged from their record. They are currently living at a campground.
The mother and father explained how cold it was getting at night, how they needed more firewood to keep their kids warm. I called Cub Foods to see if they carried firewood, seeing as the grocer accepts vouchers from The Salvation Army. Sure enough, they did.
I gave the family a voucher, which they used to buy firewood and some food. I also gave them a gas voucher so they could get back and forth to the government center to turn in paperwork for the expungement.
The family is working hard to increase their income and to secure permanent housing. I am hopeful this period of their life will be over soon.
Starting from scratch
A single mother, her pregnant teenage daughter, and her brother were living together in a duplex and lost everything in a house fire. Their only income was Social Security Disability. They were frustrated because they couldn’t get much, if any, help from other agencies.
They had just moved into a new place, but they were having trouble staying afloat due to a barrage of unexpected expenses, such as replacing their identification cards that had been lost in the fire. They also needed clothing, transportation, and rent assistance.
I was able to give the family clothing vouchers to our stores, some gas cards, several boxes of groceries, and one month’s rent. The family was so grateful.
Bridging the gap
A single mother had just finished college and was so close to getting her life on track. She just needed a little more help.
The woman had been doing part-time work at her college but ran into difficulties with the position and had to resign. She paid that month’s rent using money from her tax return and part of her student loans, but she was coming up short for the next month, before her new full-time job started.
Working together, The Salvation Army and a local housing agency secured the funding needed to get the woman’s rent paid. She and her kids were able to retain their housing as the woman, now self-sufficient, began the next stage of her life
Please join The Salvation Army by volunteering or making a donation to support your local community.