• Bob Brady

Salvation Army Begins Service Deployment Ahead of Hurricane Sandy Landfall

Mobile Feeding Units Serving at Shelters; Prepared to Serve Thousands of Meals in Wake of Historic Storm

Alexandria, Virginia (October 29, 2012) – As Hurricane Sandy moves on-shore Monday and into Tuesday, The Salvation Army is already beginning feeding operations at shelters along the East Coast. Additionally, dozens of mobile feeding units, able to serve thousands of meals, are stocked and ready to deploy into the most heavily impacted areas once it is safe to do so in coordination with emergency management officials. Crews will provide food, hydration, clean-up kits as well as emotional and spiritual care.

“The Salvation Army is mobilized and ready to serve,” said Major George Hood, National Community Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army in the United States. “Our mobile feeding units and staff are strategically positioned and already beginning to serve at shelter locations throughout the East Coast.”

Specific Salvation Army activities include:

• In New Jersey, The Salvation Army is serving meals, snacks and drinks at 11 shelters in five counties. A full fleet of emergency response vehicles is ready to deploy if needed. This includes 10 fully-stocked mobile feeding units (canteens), two service vehicles, and one mobile command unit. A canteen is embedded with Task Force 1, the State's official search and rescue team, at Lakehurst Naval Base and may travel with them as they are deployed throughout the state.
• In New York, The Salvation Army is coordinating with the local American Red Cross to provide volunteer support for shelters throughout Suffolk County. Eight canteens are equipped and ready to be deployed from the northern and western parts of the state.
• In Philadelphia, PA, The Salvation Army is working closely with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management to ready three shelters within the city to help ensure those impacted by Hurricane Sandy will have access to essential services and safety.
• In North Carolina, Salvation Army volunteers worked for 34 hours feeding residents at a shelter in Morehead City. The Salvation Army in New Bern also served evacuees at a local shelter. Eight volunteers and two officers prepared 120 meals.
• In Virginia, The Salvation Army in Hampton Roads has been providing shelter since Saturday evening. A shelter in downtown Norfolk has served 350 meals and distributed 70 hygiene kits so far.
• In Maryland, The Salvation Army of Salisbury served lunch to more than 200 persons at a shelter on Sunday. The Army is also in assisting with sheltering and feeding activities in Annapolis and other parts of the state.
• The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay informed of and heed all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a three-to-five day supply of food and water for each member of your family as well as flashlights, medication and battery powered radios.

The Salvation Army maintains a fleet of disaster vehicles and supply warehouses across the United States to enable speedy mobilization. There are more than 300 emergency response vehicles in the eastern and southern United States alone and nearly 600 units nationwide.

In addition to food, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care, The Salvation Army is also prepared to provide:
•        Clean-up kits containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies
•        Hygiene kits
•        Shower units
•        First-aid supplies
•        Communications support

The Salvation Army also provides a ministry of presence to residents looking for hope in the midst of turmoil. Pastoral care is available for all those impacted, but is not a prerequisite for receiving assistance. The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay informed of and heed all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a three to five day supply of food and water for each member of your family as well as flashlights, medication and battery powered radios.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by this disaster to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).

Donors may also contribute $10 via their phone bill by text messaging the word STORM to 80888, and confirming the donation with the word, “Yes.”*

Checks may be made out to The Salvation Army Disaster Services Center, PO BOX 1959 Atlanta, GA 30301. Please designate “2012 Hurricane Season” on all checks.

At this point, in-kind donations, such as used clothing and used furniture, are not being accepted for hurricane relief. However, these items are vital to supporting the day-to-day work of your local Salvation Army. Please consider giving these items to your local Salvation Army Family Store or dial 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).

For more information on The Salvation Army’s preparation and response to Hurricane Sandy, please visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/, www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus.

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About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. 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. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

*A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Message & Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and TMobile. By participating you certify that you agree to the terms and conditions, that you are 18 yrs. or older, or have parental permission, and have authorization from the account holder. Donations are collected for the benefit of The Salvation Army by the Innovative Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at igfn.org/t. Privacy policy: igfn.org/p. Text STOP to 80888 to stop; Text HELP to 80888 for help.