Fall Newsletter 2021

 

Fall 2021

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Bell Ringers - two hours of ringing the bell will feed a family of four for a week. Get a group together and volunteer for a whole day!
• Toy Drive - Coordinate a toy drive with your place of work, church or group.
• Gift of Warmth - Help us provide mittens, hats, and socks to those in need. Coordinate a collection!

IRA Charitable Rollover

If you are 70 1/2 or older, an IRA charitable rollover is a way you can help continue our work in the community! Please click here to learn more.

Supper on the Street Program

The past year and a half has been challenging to say the least, for our community, nation and world. The mission of The Salvation Army remains strong - we serve without discrimination, providing food, clothing, and shelter to those in need. COVID has changed the landscape of homelessness. In the past, most overnight shelters were NOT open during the day, they only provided evening sleeping accommodations. Our street feeding program, now named "Supper on the Street", provided hot meals on certain nights using our canteen - before people entered the shelters for sleeping. Once COVID hit, shelters opened 24/7 housing AND began feeding the homeless. We noticed that our "normal" site under the viaduct by the downtown library was seeing a drastic reduction in dinner visitors. Because of this change, and knowing that there were still those struggling to provide healthy meals for their families, we sought out other locations to provide this valuable service. One of these areas is the Riverside neighborhood, near a low-income family housing complex. We have seen a diverse population, with great need, attend these past few months - and the numbers are increasing as the word is spreading. We were thrilled to also provide the 50 children in attendance stocked backpacks filled with school supplies to help them prepare for heading back to school.

As the team pulled up to prepare for "Supper on the Street", Majors Lock opened the back of the van filled with new backpacks - stuffed full of school supplies! Families came from the neighborhood and chose the perfect backpack for each child to start the new school year. Parents expressed their gratefulness as many were not able to purchase new items for their children.

The van was empty as it pulled away from Ontario Street after serving 95 meals.

Summer Day Camp in the City

With almost 18 months of limited social interactions and activities, Summer Day Camp in the City had a rocky start for some of our campers. Benjamin began his camp experience by yelling at his fellow campers and the camp staff, causing distractions, and being destructive. Unfortunately, this meant he spent a lot of time in the Director's Office. We refused to give up on Benjamin because we knew he just needed time to adapt to this new experience. As the weeks began to pass, Benjamin's attitude began to change. By the end of the summer, Benjamin wound up winning the "Most Improved Camper" award! 

 

Youth Empowerment Program

Our new program, beginning this Fall, is our Youth Empowerment Program. An after-school program focusing on helping kids re-acclimate to in-person learning. Approximately 70% of our Summer Day Campers need year-round before and after school care. After-school programming is imperative to ensure that children in urban communities don't fall behind. With our staff and tutors, we will help the kids close any gaps that may have been caused by remote learning.

The Youth Empowerment Program offers kids training in their choice of basketball, football, boxing (provided by the Buffalo Boxing Club), drill/dance, and archery. Participation in extra-curricular activities, including sports, has been associated with higher grade point averages, lower dropout rates, fewer disciplinary problems, and the development of personal skills like goal setting, teamwork and work ethic.

Virtual Red Kettle Luncheon

The Red Kettle Luncheon has always been the major fundraiser for The Salvation Army, kicking off the Holiday Season and Red Kettle collection in the community. This year, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, we will NOT be gathering in person for our Red Kettle Luncheon, presented by John and Carolyn Yurtchuk.

Instead, we are asking our supporters to join us on Wednesday, November 3 at 12 p.m. from the comfort and safety of their own homes as we celebrate the beginning of the holidays and our Red Kettle season. Our Luncheon serves as a celebration of the accomplishments and achievements from the past year and looks to the future work to be done to restore hope and health to the suffering communities throughout Western New York.

So, block off November 3, 2021 on your calendar, stay home, enjoy your family, and know that your donation supports feeding those in need, providing workforce development for those seeking employment, shelter for families that are homeless and a source of HOPE to everyone that enters our doors. View this year's Red Kettle Luncheon program here.

 

Plan for your future and protect your loved ones by writing a legal will

Writing a will ensures that your wishes are known and followed. To make this important task easier for you we are sharing a new resource: a FREE TOOL to help you write a legal will in 20 minutes or less.

What are you waiting for? It's easy - and it's FREE!

www.FreeWill.com/TSAEmpire

Creating a gift in your plans to The Salvation Army is a powerful way to do the most good in the neighborhoods you care about, for decades to come.

"I hadn't put much thought into a will. Checking out FreeWill changed my mind of the importance of a will. It was a quick and easy way to make a difference into the future!" - Lieutenant Bree Barker

For more information, please contact Kristi Brennan, CAP®, Divisional Director of Gift Planning, at 888-434-1391 or Kristi.Brennan@USE.SalvationArmy.Org.

 

Disaster Relief

The Salvation Army began offering assistance to disaster survivors after a major hurricane hit Galveston, Texas in September of 1900, destroying the coastal city. At the request of The Salvation Army's National Commander, officers from across the country moved into the Galveston area to help feed and shelter the thousands of survivors, while also providing much needed emotional and spiritual support.

Since then, The Salvation Army has responded to numerous natural disasters, transportation accidents, civil unrest situations and terrorist attacks. By providing beverages, meals and emotional and spiritual care to first responders and survivors, The Salvation Army strives to bring hope and healing t o people who find themselves in the midst of extremely difficult situations. For more information on how The Salvation Army has been aiding in recent natural disasters, please visit:

https://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/

 

We would like to extend our gratitude to you and thank you for your generosity. By supporting The Salvation Army, you have given hundreds of families in the Buffalo area hope and help. We wish you a happy and healthy Fall and Holiday Season!

 

Bryanna Prince

Events and Volunteer Coordinator Buffalo Area Services

960 Main Street

Buffalo, NY 14202

(716) 888-6220

Bryanna.Gwitt@use.SalvationArmy.org