• Lt. Jared Martin

They Lost Everything But Their Compassion for Others

St. Marys, GA (September 17, 2017) - An elderly couple tossed a ruined family photograph onto the growing piled of their flood-wrecked possessions. They lost everything when Hurricane Irma swept into their single story home. During the storm, they stayed up all night fruitlessly attempting to sweep the water out with brooms. Then, exhausted and drenched, they surrendered their belongings to 12 inches of dirty water and retreated to higher ground.

When The Salvation Army mobile feeding unit arrived they smelled the pungent mold before they saw the devastated home. The relief workers gave the survivors clean up kits. They prayed together for the direction forward and favor with the insurance company. They asked for prayer for their daughter, who had yet to see the damage to her Florida home. Although Irma stole everything from them, they pointed out their neighbors who only escaped the flood by sleeping in their attic. “There are so many people you need you,” they said.

The survivors rejoiced that The Salvation Army searched for them and comforted them in their time of need. They said, “This is why people donate to The Salvation Army.”

How to help those impacted by Hurricane Irma and Harvey:

A financial contribution is the best way to help.  A cash donation allows charitable relief agencies to use monetary contributions to purchase exactly what disaster survivors need.   Monetary contributions are also easy to get to the disaster area. Moving a container of donated goods can sometimes cost more than the value of the items. Getting a donated commodity into containers and onto a ship, or onto a truck, across the sea or across the country to the disaster site, through the port costs and the customs’ tariffs, quality checked, quantity checked and sorted, and organized into warehouses, incurs a cost at each step. Supplies can almost always be purchased locally at the disaster site and provide savings in multiple ways.  Finally, money used to purchase needed items locally can support local and state economies, helping local businesses and workers, which have suffered losses in the wake of the disaster event.

Online: helpsalvationarmy.org

Donate by phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY

Mail checks to: The Salvation Army P.O. BOX 1959 Atlanta, GA 30301

Please make checks payable to The Salvation Army and designate 'Hurricane 2017' on all checks.

To receive a donation link via text: Text STORM to 51555

The Salvation Army does not place an administrative fee on disaster donations.  If you donate to hurricane relief efforts (and designate your gift to a specific disaster) 100 percent of the gift will be used in support of that event.  It may be used to provide food and drinks to survivors, cleaning supplies and other essential commodities, direct financial aid to those effected, or to support disaster relief workers serving in the area.