Donations in action: Boots, cancer support, fridges, and more

A familiar food shelf guest came in for grocery assistance the other day. I’ve gotten to know her quite well during the past year. When I approached her, it was clear that something was terribly wrong. Tears were streaming down her face.

The woman stated that she had just found out from the doctor that she had cancer. Thankfully, she said the cancer was discovered soon enough that it was treatable.

I hugged her and said she needs to continue to pray and believe that God will heal her. I asked her if she would like me and my associate to pray with her, and she did.

As she was leaving, I asked if she felt better. She said, “Walking in and seeing your faces is all I need to make me feel better.”

This encounter was a great reminder that sometimes all people need is a smile from a friend or stranger to brighten their day. The littlest action can change a life.

A man came to me saying that he and his family had just become homeless. They had been living in a hotel room, paying with proceeds from the sale of their car. Now, the car money was gone.

The family met with several other agencies for assistance but couldn’t find help. The man kept saying he was down-and-out, but that he knew this wasn’t the end and things would get better.

I was able to find several shelter resources for the man and his family. He said, “With this, I know we can make it.” He left my office with his head up, walking with a confident stride.

Last month I was able to assist two separate households experiencing the exact same problem.

The breadwinners of each family applied for rent assistance due to their work hours being cut back. Both were getting less hours than what they were promised, rendering them unable to pay their entire rent.

I was able to provide one household with $225, and the other with $605. This money allowed both families to stay in their homes.

It felt good to help these families. They were working hard and doing their best to stay afloat. Sometimes, people just need a little extra boost.

A man came in requesting financial help for a very specific pair of steel-toe work boots. He needed the boots not for a construction job, but for his disability.

Doctors said his old boots were impeding his health and that he was long overdue for a new pair. The new boots would need a special orthopedic insert that could only be installed by a shoe shop.

Prior to coming to see us, the man did his homework and found the cheapest place to buy the boots and the cheapest shoe shop to install the insert.

With help from a local foundation, The Salvation Army helped pay for the man’s shoes and insert. He was delighted. We were blessed to have helped this very grateful man.

A woman came to us with a simple request: help purchasing a refrigerator. She had gone without for nearly two years. She’d been saving all she could and was almost there. She just needed a little more help.

The Salvation Army was thrilled to provide the extra money she needed to purchase a refrigerator. She was ecstatic. For the first time in a long while, she could keep her food cold without a cooler and ice.