When most people think of The Salvation Army, the images that emerge are the bell-ringers and their red kettles encountered outside retail stores during the Christmas season or the Angel Tree program. They are, by a wide margin, the organization’s biggest and most effective marketing efforts. More importantly, they are the Salvation Army’s largest fund-raisers.
While Christmas comes but once a year, the needs the Salvation Army meets are year-round. For many, the Salvation Army is out of sight, out of mind. It’s been that way for quite a long time.
To call attention to the work performed by the Salvation Army and the need for donations and volunteers beyond the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, President Dwight Eisenhower and Congress established this week as National Salvation Army Week in 1954.
It is easy to appeal to the generosity of spirit that Thanksgiving and Christmas inspire. It’s quite another matter when the calendar turns and the work of thousands of Salvation Army chapters goes on quietly, meeting the needs of the poor, certainly, but also other work that one doesn’t normally associate with the organization.
Local chapters celebrate Salvation Army Week in their own way. In Columbus, part of the celebration included providing much-needed supplies to the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society. The Columbus chapter has also handed out 120 gift bags of food, blankets and household items to its clients. It also opened the doors of its main office, located at 2219 Main Street, to the public for tours and to learn more about what the group does.
In addition to meeting needs during this special week, Salvation Army chapters hope to raise awareness of all ways the organization serves the community, which they hope will inspire people to volunteer and donate either cash or household items that can be sold at the Salvation Army Thrift Store.
The funds raised by Salvation Army chapters stay in their community. Every dollar, every volunteer hour goes to help our neighbors for such things as food, clothing, utility bill assistance and other needs.
It may not be Thanksgiving or Christmas, but the work the Salvation quietly does every day in our community should inspire a spirit of generosity.
So we salute the Columbus Salvation Army and Captain Predeep Ramaji, commanding officer of the Columbus branch, for all they do for “the least of these” during National Salvation Army Week.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion