The Salvation Military could also be finest recognized for its vacation bell-ringing however the faith-based nonprofit has at all times embraced quite a lot of roles.
“We wear a lot of hats, I would say. One day we might be helping a family obtain housing, and one day we might be teaching a child guitar. So, every day looks a little bit different for us,” Vancouver Corps Capt. Angela Morrow mentioned.
Most lately, the group has concentrated its efforts on addressing three crucial areas in Clark County: the housing disaster, meals insecurity and assets for at-risk youth — areas the Vancouver Corps has recognized an elevated want for companies.
Via its rental help program, the nonprofit supplies households with money help to assist pay hire and different bills associated to housing. In 2024, 148 households acquired rental help by way of this system.
How one can Assist
Though the vacation season has ended, the Salvation Military’s fundraising efforts haven’t. Yr-round fundraising has begun at northwest.salvationarmy.org.
Donations made on-line are allotted to the realm related to the bank card’s ZIP code, so funds at all times serve a donor’s neighborhood.
To donate just about to The Salvation Military in Vancouver, go to vancouverredkettle.org.
The rental help line is open each Tuesday beginning at 9 a.m. for neighborhood members to name and inquire about accessible funding.
“Some people may need The Salvation Army for a relatively short time and some people need to walk with them longer. But it’s that idea that we’re with you until we can get you into stable living and be consistent with Salvation Army programming,” Northwest Divisional Cmdr. Lt. Col. Cindy Foley mentioned.
Closing the hole
However cash-based applications like rental help are contingent on the amount of cash raised. So when fundraising efforts fall brief, applications like rental help undergo probably the most.
All through the vacation season, The Salvation Military skilled a big deficit in donations throughout the Northwest Division, which encompasses Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana.
In early December, donations have been down 50 p.c, and Vancouver, particularly, was in want of extra assist to supply households with vacation meals, toys and rental help.
“We had to put out a strong media message, a strong call to action, that if we don’t turn this around, there’s going to be services cut in local communities all across the Northwest,” Foley mentioned.
The nonprofit closed that hole to about 30 p.c every week earlier than Christmas, however smaller communities, reminiscent of Lewiston, Idaho, have been nonetheless down 60 p.c on the finish of the fundraising season.
Vancouver ended the vacation season with a 24 p.c fundraising deficit — about $40,000. Morrow believes the dip in contributions might be attributed to the monetary pinch many individuals locally are feeling. Monetary hardships, paired with a decline in volunteers, may have prompted fewer individuals to donate, she mentioned.
Up to now, the nonprofit has needed to flip individuals away attributable to a scarcity of cash-based assets.
That doesn’t imply The Salvation Military gained’t do every thing in its energy to level individuals in the appropriate route, Morrow mentioned.
‘Doing the most good’
Morrow, alongside together with her husband, John, are the Corps officers of The Salvation Military’s Vancouver department. As a toddler, Morrow participated in The Salvation Military’s applications and determined she needed to offer again. She and her husband graduated from The Salvations Military’s coaching school in 2011 and have been serving on the Vancouver department since 2019.
In an effort to centralize, The Salvation Military constructed a Vancouver campus at 11018 N.E. 14th St., which was accomplished in 2019. The church subsequent door, the place Morrow and her husband are pastors, was reworked across the identical time.
“The goal was to put everything onto one campus,” Morrow mentioned. “It is more centralized and based on where the most need is. But there really is a need everywhere.”
On a brisk Wednesday afternoon, college students from Fircrest Elementary College chased one another on the grass of the nonprofit’s Vancouver campus.
Regardless of the chilly, they performed tag and drew on the concrete with chalk.
They’re a part of The Salvation Military’s SAY Klub, a free after-school program for at-risk youth.
The SAY Klub, or Salvation Military Youth Klub, receives suggestions from faculty counselors for youths who’re susceptible to being dwelling alone, behind academically or with out satisfactory supervision, based on the nonprofit’s web site.
This system contains schooling, enrichment experiences, private enhancement, character constructing, well being and security companies, music and entire household assist.
“Our three signature programs are where we’re seeing the most need right now: housing, food insecurity and safe after-school care,” Morrow mentioned.
‘Dignity to choose’
All year long, The Salvation Military serves greater than 600,000 individuals throughout its Northwest Division.
Foley mentioned meals help is the quickest rising program, underscoring the necessity for meals assets inside Clark County.
Inside the previous two years, The Salvation Military’s companies devoted to feeding individuals elevated 40 p.c. That proportion is increased than the nonprofit reported through the COVID-19 pandemic, based on Foley.
“The fastest growing program we have, unfortunately, is the increase in people facing food insecurity,” Foley mentioned. “That’s something that people could not predict in the nonprofit world: that food assistance would be growing at such a fast pace post-COVID.”
In Vancouver, The Salvation Military serves anyplace from 80 to 100 households a day by way of its meals pantry. Final 12 months, the meals pantry served greater than 29,000 individuals.
All Washington residents have entry to the meals pantry, which is open each weekday in addition to Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Residents can come store for meals as they might at a conventional grocery retailer.
“When someone comes to The Salvation Army for help, that’s not always the best day of their life,” Foley mentioned. “So if you can come in and feel empowered to make decisions and feel just like everybody else, that’s an important gift we can give you.”
The Salvation Military companions with different native organizations, such because the Clark County Meals Financial institution, Dealer Joe’s, Chick-fil-A and Stroll & Knock, to supply recent, culturally related meals.
The meals pantry additionally supplies diapers and different home goods.
“When they can come through our food pantry and have the dignity to choose what they do and don’t eat, it just gives them a choice,” Morrow mentioned. “We’ve been able to collaborate with them to get some of those foods for people of diverse cultures so they have options as well.”