Giving Hearts Day 2024: Donations matched in North Dakota on Thursday, Feb. 8
Giving Hearts Day on Thursday, Feb. 8 is North Dakota’s biggest fundraising day of the year, and it just got even more exciting.
Anonymous donors have pooled $21,000 to match gifts given to The Salvation Army’s six locations in North Dakota on Giving Hearts Day. You can help change somebody’s life by clicking on your community below to give a donation of any amount:
When you donate to The Salvation Army on Giving Hearts Day, your gift will provide twice the support for local families struggling against inflation and the unrelenting costs of food, gas and housing.
“Some families are having to choose between paying their rent or buying groceries,” said Lt. Col. Randall Polsley, leader of The Salvation Army Northern Division. “Nobody should have to choose.”
Your Impact
Gifts to The Salvation Army provide food, shelter and care for thousands of families across North Dakota.
These services were critical for Carlos and his wife (pictured below) and their four kids after they endured a tragic string of events. The family's problems started when they returned home from an indoor waterpark to discover that the mobile home they were renting in Fargo had been burglarized. The front door was left wide open in the dead of winter, causing all the pipes to burst. The ice-coated home was a total loss and most of their possessions were destroyed.
Then, after temporarily moving into a cheap apartment, Carlos severely injured his back and was put in a wheelchair. He was unable to work and the family eventually got kicked out their apartment. They became homeless and were forced to live in their minivan.
At night, Marlene would help Carlos out of his wheelchair into a front passenger seat of the van. She would sleep in the other front seat, and the kids would sleep in the back. Throughout the night, Carlos would turn on the van and crank up the heat whenever the temperatures were too cold to bear.
“I couldn’t afford enough gas to keep the van on all night,” Carlos recalled. “I was so depressed. I was completely hopeless.”
His hope was restored when he came to The Salvation Army for help. Thanks to your gifts, the family received everything they needed to start getting back on their feet, including groceries, gas cards, clothing, and rent assistance for a new apartment.
Today, the family is stable again.
“Thank you to all the people who donate to The Salvation Army,” said Carlos, who is healthy and back to work. “My family has been through a lot and we are happy for this opportunity.”
The Salvation Army thanks all of our donors for their generosity on Giving Hearts Day and throughout 2024.
“These gifts will allow The Salvation Army to change the lives of people and families in North Dakota right now and throughout the coming year,” Polsley said.
Matching gifts for Giving Hearts Day include $3,500 for each of The Salvation Army locations in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, and Williston.