Captain Ryan Boyd was awarded a check by President Dean Fiedler at Wednesdays Rotary Club of Missoula meeting. Ryan also was our last minute speaker and shared about her favorite part of working with the Salvation Army. She did such a great job sharing her passion for her job and how the Salvation Army responds to emergencies around the world. Below is her speech and some pictures from her power point.
The Salvation Army began offering assistance to disaster survivors after a major hurricane hit Galveston, TX in September 1900. The hurricane literally destroyed the coastal city and killed over 5,000 people. At the request of the National Commander, Frederick Booth-Tucker, Army officers from across the country moved into the Galveston area to help clean, feed and shelter the thousands of survivors, while also providing much needed emotional and spiritual support. In April of 1906, The Salvation Army once again responded to a major natural disaster when an 8.25 magnitude earthquake rocked San Francisco, leading to three days of fires and approximately 3,000 deaths. Salvation Army personnel established feeding stations and shelters throughout downtown San Francisco and into Oakland. The earthquake also marked the first time The Salvation Army coordinated a major, nationwide fundraising effort in response to a disaster. • 30,000 individuals fed • 9,000 individuals sheltered • $15,000 donated (equivalent to over $300,000 in 2006 dollars) During World War I, General Evangeline Booth offered the services of The Salvation Army to President Woodrow Wilson. The Army provided home cooked meals, facility space for church services, concerts, and most notably, made doughnuts for the troops. During World War II, The Salvation Army was one of a number of organizations that founded the USO.
KATRINA: When the storms hit, Salvation Army emergency disaster workers and volunteers were on hand to deliver relief in the form of shelter, food and hydration, and emotional and spiritual care. A total of $157 million (£100 million) was spent on immediate response efforts, including:
- 178 canteen feeding units and 11 field kitchens brought in from across the country
- More than 5.6 million hot meals and 8.2 million sandwiches, snacks and drinks served
- 178,313 cleaning kits and 235,229 food and grocery boxes distributed
- 282,000 emergency disaster assistance cases registered
- Emotional and spiritual care provided for more than 275,000 individuals
- Direct financial aid delivered, in the form of gift cards and housing/utility assistance
- Provision of equipment and transportation for trained Salvation Army disaster personnel
- Assistance to more than 2.6 million survivors in the affected region
The Salvation Army transitioned to long-term recovery in January 2006, allocating a further $225 million (£143 million). Long-term recovery services focused on case management, reconstruction and support for volunteer rebuild teams. Financial assistance programmes also helped with home repair, job training and other initiatives to aid long-term recovery in communities.
9/11: The days and weeks following 9/11 were especially significant ones for The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army was the first relief agency to reach Ground Zero on the morning of September 11, 2001, reporting within a half-hour following the first plane crash at the World Trade Center site. We couldn’t have done it without the 40,000 Salvation Army officers, volunteers, and staff who provided assistance during that time.
We served relief workers at the scene for nine months until operations at Ground Zero officially concluded in May 2002. This relief effort, called “Operation Compassion Under Fire” gave The Salvation Army full control of the feeding operation at Ground Zero. We served over 3.2 million meals during those months.
Most importantly, we were able to provide emotional and spiritual counseling and support to rescue and recovery-personnel. Watch a video below to learn more about The Salvation Army’s role on Ground Zero.
Following the attacks on the World Trade Center, The Salvation Army also set up a tent city outside of the Pentagon in Washington, DC called “Camp Unity”, serving meals to volunteers and first responders for several weeks during clean-up.
UKRAINE: The Salvation Army continues to house, feed and provide hygiene supplies and other basic life necessities, as well as medical assistance and spiritual guidance to the thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine. Sometimes this assistance comes in the form of a hot meal, clothing, bedding, a toothbrush and toothpaste – and sometimes that assistance comes in the form of access to Wi-Fi or a phone, or a shoulder to lean on.
In Rotterdam, Netherlands, more than 42,000 refugees have been helped by The Salvation Army with another 10,000 waiting for services. More than 1,000 refugees in that area – especially families – have been provided a temporary place to live on local cruise ships. On these ships, schooling for children has been set up with volunteers helping to teach the children.
The Salvation Army in Norway has opened its doors to Ukrainians fleeing in small and large groups across the country. From Kirkenes in the north, to Flekkefjord in the south, Salvation Army Corps members take shifts at the borders to help welcome these refugees with food and water, creating a sense of community and self-worth.
Refugees continue to arrive in Lithuania, in urgent need of shelter, food and spiritual support. Lithuania’s latest official statistics showed that almost 48,000 refugees from Ukraine have been registered in the country so far, but it is believed that the actual number could be considerably higher. About 40 percent of the officially registered refugees in Lithuania are minors. The Lithuanian Salvation Army in the city of Klaipeda is also responding to this need with various programs – with their focus being on caring for children who have had to leave their homes in a hurry and many of whom have experienced traumatic events. The Salvation Army is helping to provide these families with supermarket and clothing vouchers to try and maintain a sense of normalcy.
Members of The Salvation Army in Hungary have travelled almost 5,500 miles and spent more than 1,500 hours in recent weeks to help Ukrainian refugees. While in Zurich, more than 200 volunteers have assisted The Salvation Army in setting up “greeting stations” which provide clothing, water and up to 400 sandwiches daily to refugees arriving from Ukraine.
Human trafficking has become a major concern as The Salvation Army continues to find many Ukrainian refugees now working in brothels to help support their families. The Salvation Army is working with police in cities like Stockholm, Sweden and Bucharest, Romania to help protect and support this vulnerable population.
On the frontlines in Ukraine, Salvation Army teams are helping to send and receive urgently needed medical supplies from bordering countries like Moldova. These supplies are transported to hospitals as well as children‘s intensive care units in Odessa and other cities in Ukraine.
Along with medical supplies, The Salvation Army in Ukraine is providing help to internally displaced individuals and families in various locations – especially cities like Lviv, near the border to Poland where thousands of people have been displaced.
UVALDE: Dallas, TX (May 28, 2022) – The Salvation Army continues to provide around the clock assistance to first responders, impacted families, and the community of Uvalde, Texas, after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
An Emergency Disaster Services team from The Salvation Army in San Antonio has been onsite since Tuesday evening and has diligently worked to provide 24-hour support. In addition to the full-size mobile kitchen from San Antonio, with the capacity to serve up to 2,500 meals per day, a Rapid Response Unit from New Braunfels has been deployed, along with a 12-person bunk house, and shower unit.
The Salvation Army continues to support the Family Resource Center with food, hydration, emotional and spiritual care, and financial assistance for the victim’s and survivor’s families. Three Salvation Army Officers (ministers) are available to speak and pray with those affected by this tragedy and six teams from Canines 4 Christ have committed to stay as long as needed.
As of 5/28/2022 The Salvation Army has provided 1,061 meals, 3,475 drinks, 2,075 snacks, and have made 138 emotional and spiritual contacts. Staff and officers have served a total of 548 hours. It is anticipated that The Salvation Army service will continue into next week, with the Family Resource Center scheduled to close on Wednesday, June 1, at 5 PM.