FAITH in ACTION
Around the Territory
by Robert Mitchell
COVID–19 attacked large, densely populated cities, and rural areas were also hard–hit. Here are some reports from the field. Lebanon, Pa.—Lieutenant Ivonne Rodriguez said the phone never stopped ringing after the outbreak of COVID–19. The calls came mostly from the community’s growing Hispanic population. Many had lost their jobs and were scared. “Some of the clients we’ve seen call us every single day,” Rodriguez said. “They are Hispanics. They’re not working, and all of the callers are asking for food. They don’t have groceries and they mainly want to know about our distribution for emergency food.” Rodriguez and her husband, Lieutenant Marlon Rodriguez, are bilingual and that was reassuring for the Spanish–speaking people who called. “They feel comfortable when you speak their language,” she said. “They want to express themselves. They have concerns. They have questions. They want to know how they can register and get food. They need prayer and we pray with them. Some of them start crying and we talk to them about God if that door is open. Whatever they need, we are here to serve them.”
Ashland, Ohio—Four Chinese students from Ashland University (AU) found themselves stranded in the small Ohio community due to the travel restrictions surrounding COVID–19. The university allowed them to remain in campus housing, but the school was otherwise closed, including food service. The students came to the food pantry at the Salvation Army’s Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Ashland seeking assistance. Major Annalise Francis, the Kroc Center administrator and corps officer, said the staff shared a month’s supply of groceries and told the students about The Salvation Army’s mission and the love of Jesus Christ.
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2020 SPECIAL ISSUE: COVID–19
“We were later told by an AU staff member that they returned to the university blessed by the experience, mentioning how they were treated with love, dignity, and respect,” Francis said.
Monessen, Pa.—When a local barbeque restaurant donated brisket to The Salvation Army, Captain Susan Thwaite wondered who would appreciate such a delicacy. Then she thought about the healthcare workers battling COVID–19 at Monongahela Valley Hospital. Thwaite said the brisket became the centerpiece for 40 meals, which also included green beans, egg noodles, dessert, and drinks. “They were very nice meals compared to the other feedings we’re doing,” she said. “That was something special. We just wanted the hospital workers to know we were thinking of them. We wanted to brighten their day, give them some hope, and let them know we’re praying for them.”
Nashua, N.H.—It pays to be connected. Rosemarie Dykeman, the director of social services for the Nashua, N.H., Corps, is one of the most connected people in town and that helped The Salvation Army land a much–needed commercial freezer during COVID–19. Dykeman is a member of the Greater Nashua Food Council and also serves on a variety of local boards, including several funded by the United Way of Greater Nashua. Those two organizations recently came together to buy four freezers for local non–profits at a cost of about $7,000. “I was able to express the things that The Salvation Army here in Nashua needed and I said, ‘If I can do a big ask, we would really like a freezer. That would really help us out.’ Since we’ve installed it, it is completely full. We keep
filling it up every day. It has been so helpful,” Dykeman said. Dykeman said before the freezer arrived, The Salvation Army and other organizations sometimes had to turn away large food donations. “Because we didn’t have enough freezer and refrigerator space, we weren’t able to take as much as we could,” Dykeman said. Having the freezer upstairs near the front lobby of the corps has been a huge blessing during COVID–19. “Our numbers tripled since COVID,” Dykeman said.
Bangor, Maine—The Salvation Army’s Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen received a $3,700 donation from Central Maine Moving and Storage and the Masonic Rising Virtue Lodge, both in Bangor. The bulk of the donation came from Central Maine Moving and Storage’s employee auction. The company makes more than 1,000 home deliveries a month for various firms. If a piece of furniture is damaged or not acceptable, the companies ask Moving and Storage to pick it up and store it in their warehouse. Eventually, they usually ask for the items to be disposed of or given to charity. The company holds an employee auction each month and gives the proceeds to charity. This time, it was The Salvation Army.
Bloomsburg, Pa.—The food needs in this small Pennsylvania community were not large, however the area’s children grew restless during the quarantine. Michael Schmid, the treasurer and a volunteer at the Bloomsburg Salvation Army Service Center, sprang into action. A 39–year military veteran, Schmid enlisted the help of two local
