Army ‘Day at the Capitol’ raises awareness
Dozens of Salvation Army officers from across Minnesota last week descended on the State Capitol in St. Paul to hold one-on-one meetings with more than 50 members of the state’s 201 legislators.
The event, dubbed “Salvation Army Day at the Capitol,” helped raise awareness about how important The Salvation Army is to Minnesota.
“Salvation Army Day at the Capitol allowed our officers to educate the senators and representatives about Salvation Army programs that positively impact individuals and communities throughout the state,” said Lt. Col. Lonneal Richardson, leader of The Salvation Army Northern Division, who led a prayer before the State Senate convened (pictured). “It was a productive day and we were honored to share it with Minnesota lawmakers.”
Most of the officers focused their meetings on three main topics:
Housing: The Salvation Army saves Minnesota taxpayers approximately $10 million per year by operating 250 units of permanent and transitional housing (based on HUD estimate concluding that a homeless person living on the streets for one year costs taxpayers an average of $40,000).
Family mentoring: A Salvation Army family mentoring program called Pathway of Hope is helping Minnesota families to overcome poverty by preventing the epidemic at its root.
Economic impact: The Salvation Army is Minnesota’s second-largest social services charity, employing 1,200 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers. Annually it pays almost $17 million to Minnesota vendors, and in the Twin Cities it spends nearly $34 million on program services.
Major Jonathan Fjellman, co-leader of The Salvation Army in Mankato, met with three lawmakers from his area, including a senator and two state reps.
“All three of them had been bell ringers before,” Fjellman said. “They were impressed by the work we are doing in Mankato.”
So impressed, that one of the reps agreed to take a tour of the Mankato Salvation Army’s 10-unit supportive housing facility, called Maxfield Place.
Day at the Capitol events are held regularly by charities, businesses, colleges, and other organizations.
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