The Salvation Army Helps Local Kids with Shoes
The Salvation Army Helps Local Kids with Shoes
The Barron County Salvation Army was recently approached to see if they could help students in a local school district who needed shoes. 22 young children were still wearing winter boots as their main shoes as of last week. As the weather begins to warm up the concern was the children’s feet needed to be better prepared for warmer conditions. School officials explained that many families are struggling to make ends meet right now. The cost of living has increased dramatically, rent prices are on the rise and many families were impacted by COVID. Families just have not had the extra funds needed to get shoes right now and a representative of the district reached out to The Salvation Army for help.
Director of The Salvation Army in Barron County Duana Bremer said, “This isn’t an unusual thing to see with families who are struggling to make ends meet. Often, things like shoes, underwear and socks become a luxury for families who need to spend what little money they make on paying utilities, rent and putting gas in their car.” The Salvation Army has reported an increase in need over previous years. The COVID crisis has caused an almost 155% increase of people seeking assistance. Bremer said, “This is why we are here. We are here to lend a helping hand when families or individuals are facing crisis. We are here to help the community however we can, and this happened to be a way we could help.”
22 children received new shoes this week because someone made The Salvation Army aware and asked for help. Bremer said, “It’s just what we do. We help whenever we can.” The Salvation Army primarily helps with rent and utility assistance in Barron County along with homeless assistance. The organization is getting close to purchasing a property to better serve the homeless in Barron and Polk County too.
To learn more about The Salvation Army visit their Facebook page “The Salvation Army of Barron County”. The organization is also working on a new website with hopes for it to be running in the next couple of weeks: www.SABarron.org. If you would like to mail a donation to the organization, they are accepted locally at PO BOX 8, Rice Lake, WI 54868.