Pastor Mark Davey has seen a recent surge in requests for assistance at the Salvation Army.
“Everything with our social services has been increased by at least 35 percent this year,” Davey said.
That heightened community need has been evident for the holidays, he said.
“Normally, our food bank has about 30 families that come every month, but Thanksgiving time it’s usually between 35 and 38,” Davey said. “This year, we had 50 families come to the food bank, which is a rather large increase for us. So far, we have quite a bit of time left on our application for Christmas boxes, and we’re already halfway to our normal amount, so we’re expecting probably about 50 families this year.”
December is crunch time for Salvation Army donations, because “everything we do between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just to be able to afford to give these families a good Christmas meal, and toys for kids,” Davey said.
“There are so many people who are just trying to get by with paying bills, but Christmas is supposed to be a special time of year and a time to truly reflect on the love and the blessings that we all have as families,” he said. “It’s supposed to be a joyful time of year for everybody, and it’s hard to be joyful if you don’t have anything to eat.”
Residents can apply for Christmas food boxes and gifts by Monday, Dec. 20. Davey said he or his wife, Lisa, will be available at the Salvation Army from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Saturday to help with the application process. Items will be distributed Wednesday, Dec. 22.
“I’ve been in the Salvation Army all my life, and there’s never been anything that’s made me more excited and more joyful than seeing people smile and have lots of tears when they get their big box of food that takes care of their Christmas meal, and when they get these toys their kid wanted, and they knew they couldn’t afford,” Davey said.
The Salvation Army also collects donations through a kettle at Howsers, and Davey noted the money stays local.
“We also have Angel Tree tags, and they are a tag for each child we’ve had sign up with us for gifts this Christmas,” he said. “We write down the toy that they want, and we have them at the visitor center, at Howsers and Oleruds’, and people can go down and pick up these tags and purchase a toy and bring it down, either to those three places or they can bring it down to us, and we make sure that child gets that gift.”
Davey said the Salvation Army also benefits from a food drive at the Haines School.
“The food that we raise during the food drive and the money that we get this year, we purchase food to stock our food pantry and the food bank for the next year, as well,” he said. “It’s really, really important.”
The organization has been active in Haines since 1924.
“During the year, we run the food bank in town at the Chilkat Center,” Davey said. “We also have a food pantry here for emergency food. We do clothing, utility and heating assistance all throughout the year. We also have our thrift store, which is mostly there to provide people with affordable clothing.”
The thrift store will be open before the holidays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, through Dec. 18.
Davey said the Salvation Army is seeking volunteers for its programs. For more information and to donate, call 766-2470. Donations also can be sent to P.O. Box 550, and Davey said a new way to donate is to text the message 907GIVE to the number 85944 to make a $5 contribution.