Staying Connected in Southwest Indiana: Serving Our Communities Through the Pandemic
Food insecurity has proven to be one of the biggest struggles for many in The Salvation Army communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our Corps units have seen significant upswings in demand for their feeding programs due to the job and income loss affecting millions nationally. However, The Salvation Army Corps have adjusted their food pantry programs to promote social distancing while continuing to provide basic needs for their communities.
While The Salvation Army Terre Haute has had to adapt their programs to meet COVID-19 restrictions, this does not mean they have slowed down. Their food pantry hours remain stable to continue serving as the need in the community increases.
“We want to be available,” said Envoy Sue Linden of the Terre Haute Corps. “That’s our job.”
The Terre Haute facility has also implemented a social service drop box for those in need of emergency assistance outside of the food pantry. Types of emergency assistance that The Salvation Army offer include rent and utility assistance. In an effort to practice social distancing, interviews for assistance are now taking place by phone, rather than in person. The Terre Haute Corps is also accepting prayer requests through their drop box, offering the community an opportunity to ask for spiritual support during the pandemic.
Through their food pantry operations, The Salvation Army Vincennes Corps is proving that it’s the little things during this time that make the biggest impact. The Vincennes Corps is able to provide families with food boxes through their food pantry, and often include a dessert for the family to enjoy.
In one instance, Captain Laura Lunnam of the Vincennes Corps encountered a mom of a large family in the food pantry line, and she asked if the woman would like to take a birthday cake that they had on hand as their dessert item. By a stroke of luck, the woman told Captain Laura that it was her daughter’s birthday! What an exciting surprise for this little girl to know that she will have a cake to celebrate her special day! Thanks to generous donations to our food pantries across the state, The Salvation Army is able to continue providing for their community and, in some cases, make a family’s day with a special treat.