At a recent Interact meeting the speaker was Chief Joseph St. John. One of the things he said was that he as chief of the CPD was going to be concentrating on statistics.
Since statistics are a result of what is going on, a pulse, if you will, this makes sense. Stats will show the impact that the CPD is having on the community.
As the person overseeing the operations of The Salvation Army in Columbus and surrounding area, I thought I would share some statistics that show the impact The Salvation Army is having in the community: TSA is hosting the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, where meals are being provided on Mondays and Fridays to whomever wants a meal. For many of the people who come for the meal, it may be the only food they eat that day. In June we served 1,026 people, in July we served 1,264 people, and in August we served 1,448 people.
Here at TSA we have a Friday Night Activity Center where 128 children and teens from the neighborhood who are registered. Each week on Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. we have more than 30 young people who are forming relationships and participating in character-building activities. We are very grateful to the United Way for helping to fund our Social Services where in June we served 437 individuals, in July we served 391 individuals, and in August we served 671 individuals.
Services include: food orders; clothing; prescription assistance; utility assistance; emergency lodging (in supplement to Community Resources); furniture, clothing, and lodging for fire victims (in supplement to the American Red Cross) and also for those recently released from prison. All these clients have emergency situations and go through a screening process. All of them are truly in need of help. In TSA”s building on Main Street we have a Girl Scout troop that is scheduled to meet twice a month. These are young girls learning how to become good citizens, good sisters, and looking forward to becoming good parents. Also, in our building there are DUI classes held weekly (sometimes twice a week) for those that have had a problem with drinking and found themselves in front of a judge.
If you would like to know more about The Salvation Army, please call 662.327.5137. If you would like to support The Salvation Army and any of these activities, donations are gratefully accepted at P.O. Box 8, Columbus, MS 39703 and at the office; or, if you would like to help support our Social Services, please give to the United Way.
Bert Lind
Columbus
The writer is captain corps officer of the Columbus branch of The Salvation Army.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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