• Audrey Esther

The Salvation Army Provides Meals For Thousands In Joplin

Joplin, MO – May 25, 2011 - On Sunday, May 22nd the deadliest single tornado in the US since the 1950’s struck the town of Joplin, Missouri. The Salvation Army responded immediately providing canteens, meeting the needs of survivors by providing food, beverages, emotional/spiritual care, and other necessities.  

The following information represents The Salvation Army’s efforts in Joplin, as of 12:00 PM Wednesday, May 26.

• The Salvation Army has served 16,692 hot meals and 2,566 snacks and 6,170 drinks.

• The Salvation Army has provided 6 Mobile Feeding Units (Canteens), including units from Springfield, Kirksville, and Sedalia, Missouri, Pittsburg and Lawrence, Kansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

• A Satellite Communications truck from The Salvation Army’s USA Southern territory is in place and handling phone, computer and internet communications.

• The Salvation Army has delivered emotional/spiritual care to 200 individuals and prayers have been offered with 36 people.

• The Salvation Army has initiated emergency Social Services in multiple locations.

• Eight Salvation Army officers (pastors), 13 employees and 103 volunteers have served of 2,002.5 hours.

Locations Of Feeding Stations

Feeding operations are taking place at the following locations:

• The Salvation Army Joplin Corps Community Center located at 320 E. 8^th Street

• The Tulsa, Oklahoma Canteen located near St. John’s Hospital at 26th & Maiden has served numerous responders & survivors since it arrived Monday morning at 3:30 a.m. It is currently being operated by a team of three with the Arkansas-Oklahoma Salvation Army.

•  The “Oasis Tent” intended to serve as a location for community members to come together in a sheltered location and receive “One stop service” with food, hydration, spiritual and emotional care, minor medical care and other basic services is located at the site of the Joplin thrift store at 2502 S. Main St. and will be in operation beginning Thursday, May 26. At this location The Salvation Army has secured the use of two refrigerated semi-trailers for storage and disbursement of food and drinks and the Pittsburg, Kansas canteen will also be at this location The police department began using this area Wednesday night as a staging area & will likely supply lighting, tables, chairs and security.

Mobile Feeding Sites

Mobile kitchens from the following locations are roving throughout the disaster area, providing—as much as possible—regularly scheduled routes to offer food and hydration to responders and survivors: Kirksville, Sedalia, and Springfield, Missouri, and Lawrence, Kansas.

Other Emergency Disaster Services Ongoing in Joplin

• The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services relief teams in Joplin; are recognized by the Federal Government and can access roads and areas currently closed off to the general public.

• The Salvation Army is using an all-terrain vehicle and mobilizing "foot soldiers" to go to the people to minister, provide food and bottled water to those who are in need.

• An Emergency Disaster Services ‘Store’ is now located at the old Joplin thrift store on 7th Street and opened Thursday morning at 9 a.m. After receiving vouchers from on-site social workers, survivors may “shop” for items such as clothing, diapers, toiletries, etc.

Corporate Donations

• Sprint donated 1,500 prepaid cell phones that will be distributed tomorrow.

• The Charlie Daniels Band is scheduled to play a concert at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri on Saturday with $5.00 of each ticket sold going to The Salvation Army.

• A Kansas City Advisory Board member secured several generous donations from Sam’s Club including approximately 8 pallets of Gatorade, plus gloves and shopping carts that will be used at the EDS store. Sam’s Club also donated one freezer truck and one 45 foot refrigerator truck.

Donations received in Kansas City

Amanda Waters, Public Relations Director for The Salvation Army in Kansas City, reports the following amounts donated for tornado relief work as of Tuesday.

• Unsolicited Mail Donations:  $11,723.00

• Text-to-donate to ARMY on 90999: $4,270.00

• Online Donations:  $125,872.31

• NBC Action News Telethon donations (first night’s response): $43,990.30

• Credit Card donations: Undesignated: $195.00 / Designated for Joplin: $3,635.00

• Total: $189,688.61

Kansas City’s Response To Sedalia, Missouri, Tornado

On Wednesday, May 25 a tornado hit the town of Sedalia, Missouri. The Sedalia Salvation Army’s team was already on site in Joplin. Within 1 hour of the tornado in Sedalia, a mobile kitchen from Kansas City was on its way to aid Sedalia.

Monetary Donations

The best way to help Joplin now is to call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or go to www.SalvationArmyUSA.org to make a donation by credit card. Checks may be mailed to The Salvation Army, PO Box 21787, St. Louis, MO 63109-0787. Please designate the gift “Joplin Tornado.” Cell phone users may also text the word JOPLINto 80888 to make a $10 donation charged to their cell phone bill (text and/or messaging charges may apply).

Wednesday’s & Thursday morning’s ‘Wish List’ items include: gloves, tarps, snacks and Gatorade. Snacks & Gatorade are especially needed at the canteen near St. John's Hospital. 

Donations of used Household Goods and Clothing

Due to the high expense and time demands associated with delivering your gently-used household goods and clothing (gifts-in-kind), The Salvation cannot guarantee that any individual gifts-in-kind donated now will be sent to the disaster area. In time of disaster, our stores fill these needs from existing, pre-sorted stock. By continuing to donate gently-used household goods to your local Salvation Army store, you not only help your community, you help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off location, please go to www.satruck.org.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. 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. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.