Kelly Silvestri leads children’s activities at the San Bernardino Corps of the Salvation Army as the Young People’s Sgt. Major. Photo by Chris Sloan
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Kelly Silvestri-Raabe thought she had lost everything last year. This year, through the Salvation Army, she has found a new life and new purpose.
The San Bernardino Salvation Army recently named Kelly as the Young People’s Sgt. Major. In this position, she oversees the programs the Salvation Army offers for children ages 6-12.
Kelly believes this simply gives a title and a written job description to the work she’s done gladly for most of 2010. It is a volunteer position, but one to which she devotes most of her time.
“It took me losing everything to see how God wanted to use me,” she said. “I love the Salvation Army. It has completed my life”
Kelly started becoming familiar with the Salvation Army when she checked into the Hospitality House shelter at the end of 2009. She came there three years after her mother’s death, which had led to a downward spiral that included divorce, losing contact with her two sons and being forced out of the house in which she had spent most of her life.
Before she lost her sons, and their father moved them to Ohio, Kelly had largely focused her life on them. She hadn’t planned it that way. Even after she became pregnant in college, she had plans to become an FBI agent, and thought that having children would require only a brief interruption in her career.
“The moment my oldest son was born, I knew that God’s purpose for my life was for me to be a wife and a mother,” she said. “I had never known that kind of love before.”
Her husband had a good job, and the family was living in Kelly’s childhood home, which her mother had sold to them a few years earlier. So, Kelly was able to quit college and become a stay-at-home mom.
When her boys started school she served as the room mother. When they began playing team sports, she served as the team mother.
“My boys were my life,” she said. “I never spent more than a day away from them.”
All that came to a stop in 2005, when her mother suffered a stroke. For the next two years until her mother died, Kelly devoted much of her time to caring for her mother.
Since Kelly’s father had died when she was 7, the feeling of being left alone after her mother’s death caused her to fall into a deep depression. “I turned my back on everyone who loved me,” she said.
Her husband eventually left, and later fled with their sons to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they now live. Kelly has had only limited phone contact with them since then.
Not too long after her husband and sons left California, Kelly came home one day to find the cam locks changed, and her possessions sitting outside. Her house had been foreclosed.
“I had nowhere to go,” she said. “One of my friends suggested the Salvation Army. I said ‘I thought that was a thrift store.’
“I walked into a room where 40 people were sleeping together on the floor, (an arrangement necessary at the time, because the Hospitality House emergency family shelter operated from the Salvation Army Corps headquarters building). I had never felt so safe, because no one looked down on me, they just showed me love and kindness.”
While she was in the shelter, Kelly reached out to the children living there.
“The parents didn’t have anything for them to do,” she said. “When kids are left to their own devices, they can get into trouble.”
She took the shelter’s children on small outings to a nearby park and to the grocery store. On Thursdays, usually a minimum day at the elementary school where shelter children attend, she spent the afternoons teaching them craft projects. She served ice cream to them and baked cakes for them.
“These kids are so thankful for these little things,” Kelly said. “It is a blessing to be able to work with them.”
Once she left the shelter, her work with the children continued and grew. She volunteered with Sunbeams and Adventure Corps, programs the Salvation Army offers during the week to children in first through sixth grade.
In the spring, she participated with them in the Salvation Army’s annual Pinewood Derby, where children and youth leaders from many Corps create racecars from wood and engage them in races on a sloping track. She won.
In the summer, she went with the children to Salvation Army summer camp and taught them to ride bicycles. She took 27 little girls to see a live performance of “The Little Mermaid.”
Now, she is also responsible for Junior Church, a program held on Sunday mornings for children ages 7-12. She also leads Junior Salvationists, a program that prepares preteens to serve their community as part of the Salvation Army Church.
She believes she has found her true calling.
“I had a very comfortable life with my husband and I thought I was happy, she said. “Now, materially, I don’t have anything. But I have so much joy.”
About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
For local help, call (909) 888-1336.
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Media: If you would like any of the photos in the slide show below please send an email to Chris@DameronCommunications.com with the photo id number and i will have it to you within 24 hours. If you require the photo sooner please call Chris Sloan at (909) 888-0017.
Inland Empire Job Corps culinary arts students Rene Ortiz, Courtland Akken, Vincent Flores, Jenavie Del Toro, Rory Simms, Calvin Poindexter and Pedro Castillo, joined Salvation Army Corps Officer Nancy Ball, Salvation Army volunteer Kathy Brown, Inland Empire Job Corps Learning Director Greg Trammel and Inland Empire Job Corps Executive Chef/Culinary Instructor Michael Geurds in packing boxes that will be used to fill holiday gift baskets for needy families. The students volunteered their help with sorting and packaging after dropping off 100 donated pumpkin pies to the Salvation Army for its recent Thanksgiving dinner.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Delivering pies to the Salvation Army is a holiday tradition for the Inland Empire Job Corps. Every year before Thanksgiving, they bring enough to feed at least 800 people.
This year, seven students from Job Corps culinary arts program went a step further.
After setting 100 pumpkin pies down in the Salvation Army Corps Headquarters kitchen, the students noticed Salvation Army volunteers and staff packing cans and other non-perishable food items into boxes in the community room. The Job Corps students rolled up the sleeves of their chef’s robes, and set to work helping to sort and pack.
“They took that on themselves,” said Chef Michael Geurds, instructor for the culinary arts program. “They saw a need and wanted to help. Our students are always helping others in the community.”
These boxes of food will create holiday baskets the Salvation Army plans to deliver to about 700 families a few days before Christmas.
“The Job Corps students are a great group of helpful young people, and we appreciate the effort and energy they put into helping us every year during the holiday season,” said Capt. Nancy Ball, Salvation Army Corps officer.
They have been providing community service to The Salvation Army for about a decade.
Last year, three students won a culinary competition and donated the $300 prize to the Salvation Army. The past two years, they donated to the Salvation Army and other organizations a collection of gingerbread homes they had created from scratch as a class project.
Inland Empire Job Corps’ service goes beyond donations. They also frequently help with the preparation and serving of up to 200 meals served at Headquarters throughout the year, and with the maintenance of the grounds of The Salvation Army’s buildings. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
For local help, call (909) 888-1336.
To share Christmas joy with a deserving child, come to Inland Center Mall anytime between Nov. 26 and mid-December and select a tag indicating that child’s age, sex and gift preference. Or find and order a gift for a local child online at jcp.com/angel. Photo by Carl Dameron
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calf.) Local Salvation Army Corps and several businesses have joined forces to make this holiday season one the needy children of the Inland Empire will never forget.
In San Bernardino County, these programs, known as the Angel Giving Tree programs, revolve around actual Christmas trees. These trees will be set up in local malls the day after Thanksgiving to match shoppers with the hundreds of children in each location who are relying on the Salvation Army this year to bring a Merry Christmas.
Attached to branches of the tree are cards with names of children whose families simply cannot afford to buy gifts, as much as they would love to. Shoppers who want to take part by helping disadvantaged children simply pluck a tag off the Giving Tree, read the child’s name and wish list, then head for the appropriate store for a little sharing of their own.
“Why not start a tradition with your family and select a gift for a needy child together,” Capt. Nancy Ball said.
San Bernardino Corps puts its Giving Tree in the Inland Center Mall (500 Inland Center Drive, San Bernardino) near the food court.
“I always find it very heartwarming and satisfying to be able to purchase a gift for one of these children, based on his or her wishes,” said Tom Brickley, who is the president of the Salvation Army’s advisory board, and has participated in the Giving Tree for a number of years. “For some, it may be the only gift they get all year.”
“It is a neat way to give the child the gift he or she wants,” Brickley said. “Some want bicycles, some pants, others a specific toy.”
The Ontario Corps puts trees in Ontario Mills Mall (1 Mills Circle, Ontario) in front of JC Penney’s and Montclair Plaza (5060 E. Montclair Plaza Lane, Montclair) inside the Macy’s store. The Redlands Corps puts a tree at Wal-Mart (2050 W. Redlands Blvd., Redlands).
However, not all corps have actual trees. The Riverside Corps asks shoppers to call (951) 784-4490, ext. 114 to obtain the name of and requests of more than 2,000 children on its “Angel” list.
Since online shopping is also a popular way to buy Christmas gifts, JC Penney’s has a partnership with the Salvation Army allowing shoppers to go to jcp.com/angel and search for children (and in some places senior citizens) in any ZIP Code. The website allows online shoppers to order a gift for them from JC Penney’s online catalog, and gives them the choice of dropping the gift off at their local Salvation Army’s collection center, or of having UPS ship it, at no charge, to that collection center.
The Salvation Army also is looking for other businesses in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties, who would like to have a tree at their place of business for employees and/or customers.
To host an Angel Tree in San Bernardino, Colton, Grand Terrace, Rialto, Bloomington or Highland, call (909) 888-1336. Elsewhere, call 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
“This is a great way for business owners and managers to help the community this Christmas,” Capt. Ball said.
“Soccer balls, dolls and clothes are just a few items on each child’s wish list,” Capt. Ball said. “Shoppers who participate in the program are encouraged to shop for more than what is needed on the list.”
Salvation Army volunteers make sure the presents are earmarked for the specific child. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
For local help, call (909) 888-1336.
The Dameron family (Shiane, Malaika, Carl and Shaila) volunteer each year for an entire day as Salvation Army bellringers. If your family, organization or business can supply enough people to ring bells at one of the San Bernardino Corps Red Kettle locations for an entire day, please volunteer by calling (909) 888-1336.
(San Bernardino, Calif.) –The Salvation Army is gearing up for its Christmas tradition of ringing silver bells by shiny red kettles, so that passersby have a trustworthy opportunity to help those less fortunate.
“The Red Kettle fund raiser is our biggest fund raiser of the year,” said Capt. Nancy Ball, corps officer of The Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps. “We use the funds received to support our programs year-round to provide food, shelter and youth programs to our community.
The Salvation Army will continue ringing bells, Monday through Saturday until Christmas Eve. It seeks volunteer bell-ringers so that it can staff even more locations, more of the time.
For the past several years, Salvation Army of San Bernardino board member, and Dameron Communications founder and creative director, Carl Dameron volunteered with his wife Malaika and two daughters, Shaila and Shiane. The entire Salvation Army of San Bernardino board also volunteered their time to ring silver bells and ask the community for help.
“We receive great satisfaction knowing we had made a difference in our community,” Carl Dameron said. “We also enjoyed spending the time together as a family and teaching our children about the responsibility we have to care for those in our community who are less fortunate.”
Capt. Ball encourages families, groups of friends, community organizations, churches and Sunday school classes to sign up as a “Bell Ringer for A Day.” The Salvation Army especially seeks groups large enough to work in shifts throughout am eight-hour day, such as Rotary, Lions or Elks clubs, youth groups, church groups and large employers.
Each Thanksgiving the Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino serves about 500 people holiday meals. It serves almost as many meals on a daily basis to those who are homeless and hungry.
Feeding the hungry is just one of the ways money donated to The Salvation Army helps. Salvation Army Corps offers lodging for homeless or evicted families; clothing and furniture for burnout victims, and assistance with rent/mortgage, utilities and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in disasters such as fires.
In San Bernardino, The Hospitality House provides temporary emergency shelter and support in rebuilding the lives of thousands of homeless families.
To volunteer as a bellringer in San Bernardino, Colton, Rialto, Grand Terrace, Bloomington or Highland, call (909) 888-1336.
In addition, one may donate to The Salvation Army online, through the website www.salvationarmyusa.org. Donors may specify to which branch of The Salvation Army the money should be sent. How the Bell Ringer campaign began:
Capt. Joseph McFee, serving with the San Francisco Salvation Army Corps back in 1891, wanted to serve Christmas dinner to the poor in his neighborhood. But he didn’t have money to do so.
Mc Fee remembered as a sailor in Liverpool, England, seeing people on the docks throw money into a large kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” to help the poor. He decided this might work in California, too.
He set up a kettle at the Oakland Ferry Landing, which operated a ferry that was, in those days, the only way across San Francisco Bay. He put a sign on the kettle saying, “Keep the Pot Boiling” and raised enough money to serve the Christmas dinner.
His idea spread quickly, and by 1897 Salvation Army Corps nationwide were collecting money in kettles to serve the needy in their communities. Among The Salvation Army Corps collecting money this way before the turn of the 20th Century was The Salvation Army of San Bernardino, which formed in 1887. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
For local help, please call (909) 888-1336. http://news.yahoo.com/video/losangelescbs2-15750780#video=23100335
The Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps will serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, and needs people to donate food and time. As these youth have discovered, it is a great opportunity for a family or an organization to work together for the good of their community. Photo by Ricardo Tombac
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) This holiday season the San Bernardino Corps of the Salvation Army plans a Thanksgiving dinner to help the needy families of the Inland Empire.
The San Bernardino Corps will serve dinner from 11 am to 1 pm on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 25, at its Corps headquarters building, 746 W. Fifth St.
“We’re serving a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, vegetables and pie,” said Capt. Nancy Ball, Corps officer.
California State Senator Gloria Negrete-McLeod has donated some of the turkeys. The Inland Empire Job Corps is continuing its annual tradition of donating approximately 300 pies for the event.
“We still need lots of turkeys and lots of side dishes,” said Roosevelt Carroll, director of the Hospitality House and coordinator of the Thanksgiving dinner. “Whatever people have on their heart to donate, we need.”
The Salvation Army encourages donation of turkey or ham, side dishes and other food by calling (909) 888-1336 to make arrangements in advance, or to volunteer to help serve the Thanksgiving dinner.
The annual Thanksgiving meal brings in hundreds of families and individuals who do not have the means to provide themselves a Thanksgiving dinner. People come from all parts of the Inland Empire for the celebrations. The San Bernardino event has served close to 500.
The hungry families are joined by dozens of volunteers for the day who help prepare the food and serve meals to the families. An estimated 125 volunteers helped the San Bernardino Corps in 2009.
“Thanksgiving should be a special day for everyone, not just for those who can afford it,” says Capt. Ball.
Other Salvation Army Corps in the Inland Empire are also planning Thanksgiving dinners, although many of these will take place the day before Thanksgiving. To receive information about the dates and times for the dinners at other corps, or to volunteer please call 1800-SAL-ARMY or 1-800-725-2769. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org <http://www.salvationarmyusa.org> or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY. For local help, please call (909) 888-1336.
The Salvation Army recently conducted its Fall Fundraiser, one of its largest fund-raising efforts of the year. The $40,000 raised there is short of its annual goal of $50,000 for this event, which may require the Army to cut back on its services offered, if other donations do not replace the shortfall. The Fall Fundraiser recognized donors of $1,000 or more with a luncheon, and gave special recognition to those who gave $5,000 or more. Shown here are major donors, and representatives of the Salvation Army. Left to right: Capt. Stephen Ball (Corps officer), donor Sara Cain (on behalf of Stater Bros.), donor Jack Carlson, donor and Salvation Advisory Board Member Kristen Scott (on behalf of The Gas Company), donor and Salvation Army Advisory Board President Tom Brickley, Salvation Army, Inland Empire Resource Development Director Nancy Tortorelli, donor Pat Fisher, donor Bill Lemann, donor Royce Merrymim (on behalf of Saint Bernadine’s Medical Center), and Capt. Nancy Ball (Corps officer.) Photo by Chris Sloan
Corps Officer, Capt. Stephen Ball with Bill Turner, who told guests at the Fall Fundraiser luncheon how the Salvation Army’s program Path to Prosperity, helped him get his life back together after overcoming drug addiction. Photo by Chris Sloan
Corps Officer, Capt. Nancy Ball (left) and Roosevelt Carroll (right), encourage Kelly Silvestri as she tells guests at the Fall Fundraiser luncheon how the Hospitality House supported her after she lost the home she had lived in most of her life. Photo by Chris Sloan
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) A recent effort encouraging wealthy San Bernardino-area residents to donate at least $1,000 to the Salvation Army raised almost $40,000 – but that’s down from previous years and only a small portion of what the Salvation Army needs to provide an array of services to those less fortunate.
Money raised by this campaign assists with operational costs, as the Salvation Army continues its ongoing effort to help families struggling to meet basic needs such as food, shelter and utilities, as well as additional supportive services like counseling and spiritual care. “People will always have needs,” said Corps Officer, Capt. Stephen Ball. “The Salvation Army has met those needs, through the power that God has for all of us. We have been in San Bernardino for 123 years, and we will fight to help those in need until the very end.”
The fight the Salvation Army wages takes money. Its annual Fall Fundraiser campaign focuses on raising funds to operate the many programs of the Salvation Army, and the goal for that campaign is $50,000.
“Without the extra $10,000, we can’t pay all our bills and we will have to cut back on the services we offer,” Capt. Ball said. “It will be hard, because we already have a bare-bones staff.”
Tom Brickley, president of the Salvation Army’s advisory board, agreed.
“Last year, we raised more than $60,000. This year, times are tough and we only raised $40,000,” Brickley said. “All of this is for operating expenses of the services that are so critical in our community. We will have to lay people off and cut services if we don’t make up this shortfall.”
The Fall Fundraiser campaign is one of the Salvation Army’s largest fundraisers each year.
“The Red Kettle donation program nets us about $65,000 each year,” Capt. Ball said. “Most of that pays for the extra expenses the Salvation Army faces in November and December as we add services to make sure everyone has a good Thanksgiving and Christmas season. If there is any money left over after the holidays, it can be added to the operating budget for the following year.”
“The needs in the community are far greater than the resources available to help women, children and men in our community,” said Brian Cronin, chairman of the Salvation Army advisory board’s Fund Development Committee. One beneficiary of the funds is the Path to Prosperity. This residential program helps men focus on obtaining the skills they need to become financially independent and support themselves after completing an alcohol and drug abuse recovery program at the organization’s rehabilitation center.
This two-year education and job training initiative, combines on-site transitional housing, daily classes and peer group support in a 5,500-square foot center with living space for 28 and classroom space for 52.
At a luncheon the Salvation Army put on for its major donors, guests heard from Bill Turner, who found the strength at Path to Prosperity to move on with life after overcoming a 30-year drug addiction. He will graduate in May 2011 from San Bernardino Valley College with what is currently a 4.0 grade point average.
“The Salvation Army has saved my life, sincerely,” Turner said.
The guests also heard from Kelly Silvestri, who in less than a decade, went from high school cheerleader to homeless woman. Along the way, she coped with her mother’s death, her own divorce, the loss of her children, and losing the home in which she had spent most of her life.
Silvestri was one of the first residents of the Salvation Army’s Hospitality House emergency family shelter when it moved to its new location on Tenth Street this year. She began her stay at the Hospitality House while it was still at the Headquarters Building on Fifth Street, which offered considerably less privacy than the current building.
“I walked into a room filled with 40 people sleeping on mats on the floor,” Silvestri said. “And I had never felt more safe. Nobody looked down on me. They just showed me compassion and kindness.”
Silvestri, who demonstrated a passion for working with children while she lived at the Hospitality House and has continued that passion since then, now heads the programs the Salvation Army offers to school-age children. These programs provide the youth with spiritual and social development, recreation and opportunities for travel many of them couldn’t otherwise afford. While the $40,000 raised through the Fall Fundraiser campaign is greatly appreciated, more is needed to pay for the services of Path to Prosperity, Hospitality House, the youth programs, daily meals and many other Salvation Army programs serving the communities of San Bernardino, Colton, Rialto, Grand Terrace and Bloomington. The Salvation Army is therefore encouraging everyone to give what he or she can.
Online giving, which can be directed specifically to the San Bernardino Corps, is possible at any time by going to www.salvationarmy.usa.org <http://www.salvationarmy.usa.org> .
In addition, anyone shopping at Stater Bros. stores within the city limits of San Bernardino can help the Corps by participating in the grocery chain’s “Harvesting Hope” which will run throughout November and part of December.
Stater Bros. will give the donations of non-perishable food items it receives at those specific stores to the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps. Stater Bros. will give donations it receives in other cities’ stores to other local charities, including the Redlands and Riverside corps of the Salvation Army.
As in years past, from mid-November through December 24, donors can also give to the Salvation Army through the Red Kettle Drive, a holiday tradition the Army has relied on for more than 100 years. Look for red kettles accompanied by bellringers at locations throughout the Inland Empire. All donations collected at a Red Kettle stay within the community where they were received.
“Donations of time are also highly needed. For one, The Salvation Army wants to increase the volunteer bellringer force and we also need volunteers for our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner,” said Ball.
With holiday shopping on most people’s minds already, The Salvation Army hopes people will shop for their poorest neighbors too. Gifts of food and toys are needed for about 750 familiesrelying on the San Bernardino Corps to have any kind of Christmas celebration at all this year.
Those interested in donating time or toys should call the San Bernardino Corps at (909) 888-1336. After Thanksgiving, toys can also be donated through the Giving Tree programs at the Inland Center Mall, the Ontario Mills Mall, the Montclair Plaza and the Redlands Wal-Mart. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org <http://www.salvationarmyusa.org> or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
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Media: If you would like any of the photos in the slide show below please send an email to Chris@DameronCommunications.com with the photo id number and I will have it to you within 24 hours. If you require the photo sooner please call Chris Sloan at (909) 888-0017.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Late October’s cooler, rainy weather gave homeless men and women a new shelter option for the fall and winter months.
The Salvation Army has opened its cold weather Shelter, which operates within the Hospitality House, 925 W. Tenth Street, San Bernardino.
“The cold weather shelter is to give men and women a place to stay when it’s rainy and cold,” said Roosevelt Carroll, director of Hospitality House. “Some recent nights, it has below 46 degrees, and it gets even colder in winter. We expect to keep the cold weather shelter open until April, when the weather is consistently warm again.”
Up to 28 men can stay; they will be sleeping on mats in the dining room. Between nine and 15 women can stay; they will be given a bed in one the bedrooms for the night.
“We will keep three rooms, with three beds apiece, open for single women who want to stay in the cold weather shelter,” Carroll said. “Nine women can stay in those rooms, and if we have another room or two available when they’re not needed by the family shelter, three to six more women can stay in them.”
People who want to stay at the cold weather shelter should check in at 7 p.m. on weekdays, or 8:30 p.m. on weekends. Dinner is not served to cold weather shelter guests, but breakfast is.
“For dinner, they can attend our community dinners at 4:45 p.m. each night in the Headquarters Building at 746 W. Fifth Street,” Carroll said
Women, whether single or married, also have the option of staying at The Salvation Army for up to three months until they find permanent housing, as a resident of its year-round emergency family shelter. The Salvation Army provides assistance in these women’s efforts to create a more stable housing situation for themselves and their families.
Only the family shelter accepts children. Families enrolled in family shelter’s program each are assigned to a bedroom, where they can keep their belongings during the day, and have privacy at night.
For local help, call (909) 888-1336. About the Salvations Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
San Bernardino-area members of the Boy Scouts have a history of community service, such as volunteering at a Salvation Army Thanksgiving dinner. In 2010, they will further assist the Salvation Army by conducting Scouting for Food on Saturday, Nov. 13. This is a nationwide event for the Boy Scouts of America. Donations collected by San Bernardino, Highland, Colton, Rialto and Bloomington Boy Scouts will go to the San Bernardino Corps of the Salvation Army’s hunger relief efforts. Photo by Ricardo Tombac.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) On Saturday, Nov. 13 local Boy Scout troops will do a good deed for the Salvation Army and its efforts to feed hungry people.
“We will be going door-to-door collecting food,” said the Boy Scouts Arrowhead District Commander Major Russell Fritz. “We also will be collecting food in front of some of the Stater Brothers stores in the San Bernardino area.”
Boy Scouts from San Bernardino, Rialto, Colton, Highland and Bloomington will help collect food for the Salvation Army. Major Fritz estimates this to be about 65 troops, ranging in size from 5 to 40 boys.
They are participating in a nationwide event the Boy Scouts of America calls Scouting for Food.
“All of the Boy Scout troops in San Bernardino and Riverside counties have been invited to participate in Scouting for Food,” Major Fritz said. “We want to help as many local charities as we can.”
Each Scouting for Food drive benefits a local charity. For instance, other troops within the Arrowhead District serve the San Bernardino County mountain communities, and will take their food to a shelter in Blue Jay.
On Thanksgiving Day, the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner that often brings in 700 to 900 people. Although much of the food served at that dinner is fresh, some of the non-perishable items the Boy Scouts collect may be included.
In December, the San Bernardino Corps assembles holiday food baskets for more than 700 local families. The donations it receives from the Boy Scouts will be included in those baskets.
The San Bernardino Corps also needs food every day for those at its Hospitality House homeless shelter. Up to 75 family members can stay in its emergency family shelter, and another 25 or so people sleep in the cold weather shelter, which recently opened for the fall and winter 2010-11 cold season.
It also needs food for up to 200 people who receive a free dinner served six nights a week. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
Stater Bros. is a major supporter of the Salvation Army. In October, Sara Cain, executive director of Stater Bros. Charities, presented the Salvation Army’s San Bernardino Corps Officer Capt. Stephen Ball and its Inland Empire Resource Development Director Nancy Tortorelli with a $10,000 check for the San Bernardino Corps. In November and December, it will conduct its annual “Harvesting Hope” food drive at all of its grocery stores, and will donate all food collected at its six San Bernardino stores to the San Bernardino Corps. Photo by Chris Sloan
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Starting Monday, Nov. 1, shoppers at San Bernardino Stater Bros. grocery stores can help the Salvation Army feed the hungry.
Stater Bros. begins its annual “Harvesting Hope” food drive on Monday, and in San Bernardino, it has designated all of the proceeds to go to the local Salvation Army Corps.
Stater Bros. will have bins in front of its stores where shoppers can place any non-perishable food. It doesn’t have to even be purchased at Stater Brothers.
“Everyone does spring cleaning,” said Sara Cain, executive director of Stater Bros. Charities. “This year they might want to do fall cleaning as well. They can clean out their food pantry of all their unwanted non-perishable food, and then stock up at Stater Brothers on the food they will need for the holidays.”
“Two things that I always have too much of are beans and rice,” Cain said. “Some families would love to have more beans and rice!”
It will collect food from Monday through Dec. 13, then turn the food over to the Salvation Army.
“This donation is huge for us,” said Nancy Tortorelli, director of resource development for the Inland Empire corps of the Salvation Army. “We will be able to help more people because of it.”
In December, the San Bernardino Corps assembles holiday food baskets for more than 700 local families. The donations it receives from Stater Bros. will be included in those baskets.
The San Bernardino Corps also needs food every day for those at its Hospitality House homeless shelter. Up to 75 family members can stay in its emergency family shelter, and another 25 or so people sleep in the cold weather shelter, which recently opened for the fall and winter 2010-11 cold season.
It also needs food for up to 200 people who receive a free dinner served six nights a week.
The Stater Bros. stores where donations will benefit the San Bernardino Corps of the Salvation Army are:
648 W. Fourth St., San Bernardino
444 E. Baseline St., San Bernardino
1085 W. Highland Ave., San Bernardino
1522 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino
161 E. 40th St., San Bernardino
977 Kendall Drive, San Bernardino
Stater Bros. will give donations it receives in other cities’ stores to other local charities, including the Redlands and Riverside corps of the Salvation Army. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
Crossroads Rotary will present Christmas in October on Oct. 31 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the San Bernardino Corps of the Salvation Army. They will give away 1,000 pairs of free shoes, toys and a meal. File photo courtesy of Dameron Communications.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) San Bernardino’s Crossroads Rotary has teamed with the local Salvation Army and Loma Linda Medical Center to bring some Christmas spirit and plenty of goodies to Inland Empire’s disadvantaged youth and their families.
“The Jubilee Committee and Family Services,” notes Rotary event chairman and Jubilee Chief Executive Officer Kirk Dunbar, “as a recent part of Rotary, has come up with 1,000 pairs of free shoes for our expected huge turnout. This will be our second year doing this, but our first partnering with the San Bernardino Salvation Army. We certainly hope this project will become an annual team effort.”
Dunbar estimates more than a thousand people will attend the October event, appropriately titled “Christmas in October.” He adds, “There will be all those shoes for kids ages 5-19, of course, but we’ll also have clothes along with toys and a huge free meal.”
The Christmas in October Festival will actually be the 31st of the month, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Salvation Army’s 5th Street facility.
There will be even more. “We’ll have doctors and chiropractors available, too,” Dunbar says. “Loma Linda is sending the medical staff who will provide free checkups as well as referrals to needed specialists.”
According to Dunbar, “San Bernardino County is one of the hardest hit areas in California with a disproportionate rate of unemployment, and thousands of youth are having severe economic hardship.”
“We will all help to ease that hardship going into the Christmas season,” Dunbar adds. “Some of our friends and neighbors are having a particularly tough time, through no fault of their own, and we want to do everything we can to give them a well-deserved hand.”
The Salvation Army Corps’ office is at 746 W. Fifth Street in San Bernardino. Call (909) 888-1336 for more information, or for help. About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires. For help, call (909) 888-1336.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
