“No One Has Ever Done Anything Like this for Us in Our Life”
Noelle Cothern, Central Region Social Work Manager for The Salvation Army, shared this inspiring story of help we provided through our Senior Services program.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve helped The Salvation Army Senior Services program complete their wellbeing checks for seniors. The pandemic has made it difficult for seniors to access food safely. With the help of many people in the Army, the Senior Services program has provided multiple resources for emergency food while more long-term options and resources are established.
On Friday, May 29, I completed a wellbeing check for a senior couple. This couple recently became homeless after their rental unit was sold, and they are now staying in a hotel. The only food they had left was half a loaf of bread and half a jar of peanut butter. Thanks to the emergency food boxes put together and collected by Ann Wilson, a Senior Services team member, I provided them a box full of non-perishable food items to get them through the weekend.
However, The Salvation Army was able to provide this couple with even more food. I contacted Envoy Scott Hurula about this couple’s need. He made sure they received an Emergency Food Box delivery from our Emergency Disaster Services on June 2.
After the food was delivered, the seniors called and left a voicemail thanking The Salvation Army. “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. No one has ever done anything like this for us in our life. We appreciate this…. We are going to be able to eat for a long time.” They even went on to explain that since The Salvation Army was so good to them, they were sharing some of their food with a neighbor.
Thanks to the many people donating food and volunteering their time, this couple now has enough food to eat while they are getting connected with housing services and ongoing home-delivered meals.
Learn about all the ways The Salvation Army is responding to the coronavirus – as well as how you can help – at salarmychicago.org/coronavirus.
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For tax purposes: The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division EIN is 36-2167910.