December 22, 2020 – The Salvation Army put together nearly 1,000 Christmas food baskets and began distributing them to the public Tuesday.
The event was scheduled for 10 a.m., but when cars started rolling in at 8, the Salvation Army volunteers got to work.
“We don’t turn people away,” said Lt. Kenesa Debela. “This is a very exciting time for us to be able to help people, especially in a pandemic. A lot of people are hurting so when we put food on somebody’s table that frees up finances for other things, you know, pay your light bill, pay your mortgage, buy some toys for your kids. So we’re not just feeding them but we’re also helping them make ends in other areas as well.”
The Salvation Army gave away nearly 600 boxes and plans to distribute the remaining 400 throughout the week.
When asked about what went into the event, Debela said, “We started thinking about this in July, so we needed volunteers to start taking lists down so we know how many people we can expect. In November, we have volunteers lined up to take names and think about what items to purchase. We collaborated with Kroger again to set up the food purchases and then we need people to assemble the boxes and then people to fill the boxes. It’s pretty involved, it seems easy to just put stuff in the box and give it away, but we’re cognizant of what we put in the box as well.”
The Salvation Army still has boxes to give away for those in need. If you or someone you know would like to receive a box from the Salvation Army, contact them at (217) 428-4672.
