Donations in Action: Pray for these kids
Many of the people The Salvation Army serves are in the middle of crazy circumstances. Their stories can be heartbreaking, uplifting and everything in between.
Here are some of those stories, submitted by Salvation Army social workers and caseworkers from across Minnesota and North Dakota. Out of respect for the people involved, we are retelling these stories without using names.
If you’ve ever wondered how The Salvation Army uses your donations, here’s your answer:
Pray for these kids
Several siblings in our youth program told us their parents were violent and addicted to meth. We immediately reported it to the proper authorities. As the situation played out, we gave the family food, clothing, soap, shampoo, and other basic necessities so that the children would not suffer.
The children remained in our programs, where we built a positive relationship with them through Bible lessons, tutoring, and thoughtful one-on-one conversations.
Several months later, the kids’ home was raided and their parents were incarcerated, where they will remain for a long time.
The children have since been placed into foster care, and they continue to attend our programs. We are trying to teach them how to turn their horrible situation around and break the generational cycle.
So far, the children are doing well. They continue to excel in their school work, their faith in God, and their new life with their foster parents.
Our goal is to equip these children with the skills and resources they need to face the difficult challenges ahead. We are one of their only sources of stability.
Fire can’t snuff man’s spirit
A man came to us after losing everything he owned in an apartment fire. He had been severely burned and was forced to spend a great deal of time in the hospital.
Almost a year had passed since the disaster, and the man was finally making progress in rebuilding his life. Although he had found a new apartment, his biggest problem was that he had no furniture and couldn’t afford to buy any.
Thankfully, The Salvation Army was able to help. We provided the man not only with lots of used furniture, but a new bed, sheets and blankets. We prayed with him, too.
The man said he was blessed by the care he received from The Salvation Army.
Paying it forward
One of the mothers we help from time to time decided to pay it forward.
She had a female friend who was dealing with job loss and a difficult divorce. Since the mother in our program knew what it was like to receive help during a time of hopelessness, she decided to be the person to step in the gap of her friend’s life.
With help from social media, the mother put the word out that her friend needed support in the form of clothing and financial gifts. Within a week, there were enough generous responses to care for the woman’s immediate needs until she started her new job and earned her first paycheck.
Happily, this is not the first time one of our guests has helped somebody else. It seems the good works of The Salvation Army go on to multiply into more good works.
Celebrate good times
There are times when our job is simply to celebrate the successes of the people The Salvation Army serves.
Recently, we’ve had lots of reasons to celebrate. One of our guests who had spent three years working as a dishwasher got a new job as caretaker, bumping his hourly pay from $9 to $12.50. Another guest finally found employment after a long and exhaustive job search made difficult by his criminal background. Another guest was grateful to be moving from supportive housing into his own market-rate apartment, a transition partially made possible through Salvation Army rent assistance.
It was uplifting to celebrate these achievements with the people who earned them. These people are the reason why working for The Salvation Army is so fulfilling.
Please join The Salvation Army by volunteering or making a donation to support your local community.