Salvation Army hosts first 'Fresh Start Festival' May 20

Favorite breakfast foods and coffees will lend a new twist and a new time of day for fund-raising when the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana hosts its first “Fresh Start Festival: A Taste of the Morning” next month.

Instead of the customary evening dinner event, the community is invited to enjoy a wide array of foods and coffees between 8 and 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 20. Twenty local restaurants and coffee houses will provide samples of breakfast items and coffees at the event at the Salvation Army Corps and Community Center, 2300 Green Valley Road in New Albany.

PC Home Stores, Schmitt Furniture, SamTec, and Kentucky Truck Sales are presenting sponsors of the “Fresh Start Festival.” Tickets are now available at $45 and must be purchased in advance by simply going to the Salvation Army’s website, www.SAnewalbany.org, and clicking on the Reserve Ticket link.

The event is intentionally planned to coincide with National Salvation Army Week May 14-20, according to Capt. Catherine Fitzgerald. The morning also will showcase the gamut of services that the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana provides for residents of Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Scott, and Washington counties.

Not only will attendees enjoy a fresh start that morning, but proceeds will boost area families to a fresh start toward home ownership through the Salvation Army’s new ”Pathway of Hope” program. The initiative provides individualized services to families desiring to break the generational cycle of crisis and secure a path out of poverty.

By helping families overcome challenges like unemployment, unstable housing, and lack of education, “Pathway of Hope” can lead families down a path toward increased stability, self-sufficiency, and, ultimately, home ownership. Already the program has led two families to become pre-approved for home loans, according to Alecha Redmond, family support manager.