By Jake Luplow
It’s that time of the year when autumn’s burnt marmalade and barren trees shift to winter’s icy cold and frosting white. Above, clouds swirl around a blue moon wreathed in electric silver. People scurry about as they make holiday preparations. And the air, though seemingly still, bares whispers of holiday cheer. For many, these winter months mark upon their lives memories of feasts, family, and joy. While, for others, these months mark more scars, crisped over by winter’s drab cold, that remain fermenting in the womb of aloneness.
Often times we hear of celebrities adopting children from Africa or of missionaries going on trips to India, but what are we doing to solve the problems we face in our own back yard—poverty, substance abuse, homelessness?
According to research at foodlifeline.org, it’s estimated that 10% of people in Thurston County are living under the poverty levels. Moreover, a census found on the Thurston County website, declares that in 2012 the State Department of Commerce found 724 people of Thurston County to be homeless.
The Salvation Army of Thurston County is working hard to provide food, shelter, and love for many struggling people in our community.
First established in London in 1865 by William and Catherine Booth, this organization became a prominent force in Olympia in 1889.
The three primary services they offer in Thurston County, year round, are a rehabilitation shelter, a community soup kitchen (partnered with Catholic Community Services), and a social service office.
According to Major Bill Lum from the Olympia Salvation Army, the goal of their shelter program is to stabilize their client’s living situations, work with them to develop an action plan (in participation with their social service office), and help them save sufficient funds so as to eventually move to transitional or permanent housing.
The primary problem homeless people face is the inability to climb the ladder of success, figuratively speaking. It isn’t easy to find a job when you haven’t showered or shaved in weeks, possibly even months, which is why their shelter is such an essential component of our community. Lum says, “64% of the people who have utilized our shelter have successfully moved forward to either transitional or permanent housing.”
Lum explained that although their community kitchen and social service office are separate from their shelter, they play an integral role in the success rate shown from those who have properly utilized their resources. “It’s hard getting a person to come in to a shelter to work on themselves when they’re hungry and in need of some of the little things.
He acknowledges, “Our Community Kitchen was first started primarily for people who needed shelter but has grown into a place open to anyone who is in need of a meal. Last year, alone, we served about 85,000 meals. (For more information on volunteering in the Community Kitchen, read this article.)
“And our social service office helps individuals with rent, cost of utilities, prescription medications, clothing, hygiene kits, and other various needs.”
In his article titled Salvation Army Gives Back to Residents, Herald Reporter Andrew Fickes shared a testimony from one Mrs. April Thompson, “For this to be a resource is a blessing,” Thompson said. “I’m grateful to have them.”
Once the holiday season hits, the Salvation Army and its many volunteers work double time in providing outreach to many who remain below the blanket of festivity.
You may surely have come across the Salvation Army’s legendary “bell ringers,” a time or two: the ones standing outside of your local grocery or department stores with bright red kettles and shiny bells collecting money.
Lum says, “During the Christmas season, we have bell ringers who stand outside of local stores and collect money for various service needs. Some of the bell ringers are paid and some are volunteers from various groups such as, Kiwanis, Rotary, high school groups, and this year we have several realtor companies—for a total of twenty-eight kettle workers.
“The money generated from the kettle ringers stays locally in Thurston County and is used for the various programs the Salvation Army runs: shelter needs, soup kitchen, and Christmas programs Adopt a Family and Toy and Joy.”
Richard, a local Salvation Army bell ringer confirms, “I do this so that they can get money to help people who may need to buy toys for their children or who may need help with their rent.”
This Christmas season doesn’t have to leave many feeling destitute. Here are two Holiday programs you can help with:
- Toy and Joy distribution helps 600 families during the Christmas season. This program is set up so that families, who have applied, can come in and pick out specific gifts for their child as well as receive a food basket and a gift card.
- Adopt a Family is their other Christmas program, where individuals, groups, and businesses can adopt a family, providing them with gifts and food and everything else to make for a nice Christmas.
If you’re like Major Bill Lum, then you’re inspired by something. For Lum, it’s creating hope in a world three shades darker than black, “One thing that continues to inspire me is to see people’s lives changed—a rehabilitation taking place in all areas of their lives. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing a person restored who was completely broken.”
If you would like to help, please contact www.salvationarmyusa.org or (360) 352-8596 (Olympia Branch).
