PACK ALL NIGHT!

Quad Cities, USA: The Salvation Army of the Quad Cities will hold its Fourth Annual "Pack All Night" Event on Friday, December 13^th.

Fifty volunteers made up of groups from the Quad City Wolf Pack, John Deere, and Girl Scouts will pack 2,100 food boxes filled with a Christmas dinner.

TIME: 5:30pm - 10:00pm

DATE: Friday, December 13

PLACE: The Salvation Army Corps Community Center

2200 - 5^th Avenue, Moline, IL 61265

The food boxes are part of The Salvation Army's Christmas Assistance Program where Quad Cities families and individuals will receive large boxes of food and toys for their children. 2,000 families signed up for Christmas Assistance which takes place December 17^th and 18^th.

Please call Holly for information, directions, etc.

Thank you. 563-271-7933

 

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Quad Cities, USA: December 6, 2013 - With only 17 days remaining in the Red Kettle Campaign, The Salvation Army is extremely concerned about Kettle Donations.

Major Gary Felton, Quad Cities Coordinator for The Salvation Army, states, "Our goal of $750,000 to keep our programs strong is still a long way away. We are grateful for the $230,000 that has been donated to date, but we are $150,000 behind last year at this time. The six days that we lost between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a huge concern. Other factors may be donor fatigue due to the recent typhoon and tornado disasters."

He adds, "Less giving is a great concern to us. These donations allow us to do our work at Christmas and all year round. The Red Kettle Campaign raises 60% of our annual budget and still has a long way to go. The monies collected provide shelter, food and other basic needs to families and individuals in crisis. We depend on the generosity of each individual in the Quad Cities to be able provide our services. We try not to think about falling short of the goal - we simply cannot fall short this year."

Another way you can become involved with The Salvation Army's Christmas programs and make your own Christmas even brighter: Volunteering. Opportunities include Toy Shop Escort, Bell Ringer, and Toy Collector at Fill the Truck on December 13 & 14. Easy sign up at www.ringbells.org.

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Quad Cities, USA- The Salvation Army's Angel Tree Program will begin on Friday, November 29th at the two Quad Cities Malls. Community members are asked to purchase a toy and bring it to the Angel Tree sites to that a less fortunate child will have a happy Christmas morning. This annual holiday program provides new toys for approximately 3,000 children whose families are having a hard time adding Christmas gifts to their budget.

On Black Friday, November 29, Macerich Malls will again partner with The Salvation Army and collect new, unwrapped toys inside the malls at the "Angel Trees." Hours will be 11am - 8pm Monday through Saturday, and 12pm - 5pm on Sunday.

Paper angel tags listing the age, gender and toy ideas are available at these locations: Younkers Court in SouthPark Mall, Moline; and JCPenney Court in NorthPark Mall, Davenport. Anyone wanting to participate can select an angel tag from the tree and purchase a gift for a child. New, unwrapped toys for a child, along with the original tag can be returned to any Angel Tree location. The last day you can choose an angel is Dec. 15 to allow time for distribution by The Salvation Army.

Major Gary A. Felton, Quad Cities Coordinator, states, "The Salvation Army is very dedicated to helping parents maintain a sense of normalcy and dignity so Christmas can truly be a blessed event for their family. This small gesture of purchasing a toy for a child can help to make another person's life less overwhelming."

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More about the QUAD CITIES Angel Trees

• Over 3,000 children will be served again this year because of our community's generosity.

• Gifts for 11-and 12-year-olds are especially needed.

• When a child receives a toy Christmas morning, the parents regain hope and the child has a happy memory to build on.

Contact Holly Nomura at (563) 271-7933 if you are interested in hosting an Angel Tree at your office or church.

Other Angel Tree Locations that can be used for dropping off your gift include :

All Four Area Wal-Marts at the Customer Service Desk

Chic-fil-A, 53^rd and Elmore, Davenport

Des Plaines, Illinois (November 18, 2013)?Severe weather throughout the Midwestern US began early Sunday afternoon and continued through late Sunday evening, with tornadoes tearing through several cities in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. As soon as the storm clouds lifted, The Salvation Army responded, offering food, hydration, shelter and spiritual and emotional care through its network of Corps Community Centers throughout the Midwest.

Central Illinois

In the Central Illinois counties of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford, Illinois, most of the damage was centered around Washington, Illinois. Early reports claimed that an F-4 tornado may have entered Washington (15,000 pop.) and the adjoining areas of Tazewell County at approximately 11:45 am on Sunday, November 17. The most affected cities of Pekin, Morton, Washington and East Peoria (combined pop. of 100,000) suffered fully demolished houses, flooding and severe wind damage. Rescue crews worked through the night, while National Guard and Law Enforcement secured the most damaged areas to limit access.

The Salvation Army has deployed mobile kitchens (canteens) and spiritual care officers to assist in the recovery. Since early Sunday afternoon four canteens from Central Illinois have delivered essential nourishment and hydration to the cities of Washington, Pekin, Roanoke and Gifford, Illinois. In addition, some dry clothing items have been delivered to the search and rescue teams by Salvation Army crews. Salvation Army officers have also been deployed to shelters to comfort survivors.

Today these canteens are providing hot drinks and baked goods for rescue and relief workers in the affected areas. The work of assessing and forecasting the immediate needs of this disaster event continues. Until further notification, the Heartland Division (The Salvation Army in Central Illinois and Eastern Iowa) will consider this a long term assignment and plan accordingly. Salvation Army officials request that you "Please keep this area in your prayers as we move towards recovery."

Metropolitan Chicago

In the Metro Chicago area, The Salvation Army has been at work since Sunday afternoon in Grundy and Will Counties. Today a canteen continued to offer food and hydration to first responders and survivors from a base at Coal City High School.

Southern Illinois

At approximately 2:20 pm Sunday, The Salvation Army dispatched a canteen to Washington County, Illinois for initial response to a report of a tornado touching down in New Minden. Initial reports stated that one house was destroyed, one church was damaged, and there were three confirmed fatalities. Salvation Army Volunteers from Centralia, Illinois assisted with the response effort. The canteen was released by authorities and redeployed to Brookport, Illinois, outside of Paducah, Kentucky, where reports indicated significant tornado damage, with 100 homes affected?50 of those destroyed. A canteen from Paducah is also staged to respond when needed.

Indiana

In Indiana, the Kokomo Corps Community Center sheltered 30 displaced persons last night and its canteen is serving the people of the city today. Damage in the area was so severe that the city prohibited vehicle traffic throughout Sunday evening and Monday morning. In Lafayette, Indiana another canteen was deployed Monday Morning at the request of local officials.

Canteens across Illinois and Indiana are staged to respond immediately when requested by local or state disaster officials. As the severity and extent of the damage becomes clear, it is expected that a greater response will be required.

How to Help

The best way to help The Salvation Army serve those affected by this storm is make a monetary contribution.

Online:

Give online at http://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/usc/2013-storms

By Phone:

Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY [1-800-725-2769]

By Mail:

To donate via mail, please send your check, designated "November Tornadoes" to:

ATTN: NOVEMBER TORNADOES

THE SALVATION ARMY

10 W ALGONQUIN ROAD

DES PLAINES, IL 60016-6000

Text to give:

Text STORM to 80888 and reply YES to confirm your donation*.

Terms and conditions:

*A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Message and 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 T-Mobile. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. By participating you certify that you are 18 yrs or older and/or have parental permission. Donations are collected for the benefit of The Salvation Army by Innogive 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 specify 80888 for help.

Donations of Household Good and Clothing:

Due to the emergency situation, The Salvation Army cannot guarantee that any individual donations of household goods or clothing (gifts-in-kind) will be sent to the disaster area. In times of disaster, our stores fill these needs from existing, pre-sorted stock. PLEASE continue to donate gently-used household goods to your local Salvation Army store. You will help your community and help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off location, please go to www.satruck.org.

Companies who wish to donate emergency supplies in bulk:

Please contact Bob Eisenhart at (847) 795-3086 or robert_eisenhart@usc.salvationarmy.org. Bob will work with you to determine suitability of donation, our capacity to use it, and where it should be delivered.

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.

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