For the latest updates on The Salvation Army’s response to this disaster, please visitwww.SalvationArmyUSA.org, Blog.SalvationArmyUSA.org, Twitter and Facebook.
Updates
The Salvation Army is prepared for a long-term disaster response and recovery operation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
- Feeding has already begun at shelters in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and mobile canteen units will deploy to the areas of greatest need as damage is assessed in the coming days.
- In New York City, officials from the Office of Emergency Management have appointed The Salvation Army as the lead agency for the City’s Food Access Plan, to coordinate feeding at city shelters. For the next few days The Salvation Army will be serving food at Seward High School in lower Manhattan where 1,000 people are being fed breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Salvation Army personnel began assessing damage Tuesday and will move to the areas of greatest need in coordination with Emergency Management personnel.
Current Salvation Army mobilization activities to date include:
In New Jersey:
- The Salvation Army is serving meals, snacks and drinks to hundreds of evacuees at 11 shelters in five counties.
- While serving meals at a shelter in Union Beach, a Salvation Army canteen and a volunteer vehicle were flooded when waters rose unexpectedly. Despite the loss of these vehicles Salvation Army volunteers continued to serve meals to both displaced residents and first responders.
- Local senior citizens found refuge from Hurricane Sandy at The Salvation Army building in Red Bank.
- In Montclair, The Salvation Army is operating a “charging” center for members of the community needing to charge their phones, computers or other electronic devices.
- A canteen is embedded with Task Force 1, the State's official search and rescue team.
Elsewhere in New York:
- The Salvation Army provided food and shelter assistance at two locations in Albany as Sandy impacted that area last night.
- On Long Island, The Salvation Army is assisting the American Red Cross with redistribution of supplies to eight shelters.
In Pennsylvania:
- The Salvation Army is serving approximately 1,000 meals per day in nine shelters throughout the Philadelphia area.
- In Lehigh Valley and West Chester, the Army is providing meals at three shelters.
In Stamford, CT:
The Salvation Army has served more than 400 meals and served 650 dinners Tuesday night using supplies collected for this year’s Thanksgiving meal.
Monetary donations are the most critical need as supplies and personnel are mobilized.
- Donors are encouraged to give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.orgor by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY(1-800-725-2769).
- You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.” *
- Those interested in volunteering should register at www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org. Please note that disaster service training is a prerequisite for volunteering in a disaster zone and not all registered volunteers will be called on to serve.
- At this point, in-kind donations, such as used clothing and used furniture, are not being accepted for hurricane relief. However, these items are vital to supporting the day-to-day work of your local Salvation Army. Please consider giving these items to your local Salvation Army Family Store or dial1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).
Your donations make a real difference.
- A $10 donation feeds a disaster survivor for one day.
- A $30 donation provides one food box, containing staple foods for a family of four, or one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies
- A $100 donation can serve snacks and drinks for 125 survivors and emergency personnel at the scene of a disaster
- A $250 donation can provide one hot meal to 100 people or keep a hydration station operational for 24 hours
- A $500 donation keeps a Salvation Army canteen (mobile feeding unit) fully operational for one day
The Salvation Army is one of the nation’s largest providers of disaster service and responds to hundreds of disasters across the country each year.
- Hurricane Katrina (August 2005): The Salvation Army provided more than 5.6 million meals to survivors and first responders of Hurricane Katrina, and 2.5 million people were assisted with emergency food, casework, emotional and spiritual care.
- Haitian Earthquake (January 2010): The Salvation Army packaged and delivered more than 10 million meals to Haiti, and more than 27,000 survivors were treated at Salvation Army medical facilities. Additionally, The Salvation Army distributed approximately 8,000 hygiene kits.
- U.S. Tornado Outbreak (April & May 2011): The Salvation Army served nearly one million meals and distributed 50,000 hygiene kits, and more than 10,000 people received emotional and spiritual care.
Salvation Army Statements
Major George Hood, National Community Relations & Development Secretary
- “It’s clear now that Hurricane Sandy was and continues to be a major and historic storm impacting millions of people.”
- “Residents of the impacted areas can rest assured that The Salvation Army will be with them for the long-haul – providing practical, physical and spiritual support at the areas of greatest need.”
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go towww.salvationarmyusa.org.
*A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Message & Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and TMobile. By participating you certify that you agree to the terms and conditions, that you are 18 yrs. or older, or have parental permission, and have authorization from the account holder. Donations are collected for the benefit of The Salvation Army by the Innovative Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at igfn.org/t. Privacy policy: igfn.org/p. Text STOP to 80888 to stop; Text HELP to 80888 for help.