Springfield Salvation Army has been serving the greater Clark County community for 136 years.
“It’s something we’re very proud of, because it’s something people know they have if they need it,” Ryan Ray, development director at the Springfield Salvation Army, said.
The week is also focusing on helping people learn about the organization, how it started, and how the communities are served, said Ray.
“One of the things I really enjoy is partnering with local businesses and organizations. We have a lot of great partnerships with different organizations and businesses, and this is a chance for them to put their own creative spin on how can they raise awareness, how they can celebrate National Salvation Army Week.”
This year’s community partners include Young’s Dairy, Winans Coffee & Chocolates, Oats & Doughs, Reid Golf Course, Los Mariachis Mexican Restaurant, Casa del Sabor, Salato Deli, Le Torte Dolci, and Lee’s Chicken.
Young’s Dairy has created the “Salvation Sundae” and is donating part of the proceeds to the Springfield Salvation Army.
‘‘When you’re out there, you’ll see a Sal the Cow, which is a Salvation Army cow on the inside of the dairy store, so you can get your sundae, and get a picture with Sal the Cow there, and tag us in it to show you’re supporting your Salvation Army,” Ray said.
The Sherriff’s department will also join by wearing buttons, and the Global Impact STEM School will be doing a Salvation Army-themed spirit week. The spirit week will include activities, like a scavenger hunt to help students learn facts about the organization.
“They’ll learn also a broader view of the Salvation Army, but also zoom in to more community related. They’ll learn that 83 cents of every dollar you donate to the Salvation Army goes directly to the need, they’ll learn that 100% of the money they donate in their city stays in that city. Things like that are so important to teach the younger generation,” Ray said.
In addition, the Walmart located at 200 S. Tuttle Road is asking their associates to wear the organization’s buttons and is hosting Salvation Army themed activities at the store, as well as fundraisers.
“They’ve been an incredible partner to us, and they do so much for this community, it’s amazing,” said Ray.
Ray said the organization saw exponential growth in community needs over the past year in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We saw at one point an increase of 500% at the peak of the pandemic for our services. On a typical week we might be ordering 500 pounds of food, but then we were ordering 5,000 pounds. Our rent assistance went up, an average year would consist of maybe 50-ish cases for rent assistance, but it climbed to 183,” he said.
The needs were more than expected and hard to work with and were overwhelming, but brought chance for others to do good for the community.
“It also brought out the best in us. We’re seeing some people signing over their stimulus, some people saying, ‘I could use this, but I know there’s someone who needs it more than I do,’ and they’d sign it right over. Those are the things that fuel you, and those are the things that make Clark County great,” said Ray.
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