Requests for assistance increase as unemployment benefits run out

The Salvation Army is seeing a dramatic spike in request for assistance as unemployment benefits for many end this week.  At The Salvation Army’s Center for Hope in Greenwood, workers went through the July assistance funds in one day in order to meet a 70% increase in request for assistance.  Almost all of the 24 households they served were seeking help for the very first time.

See the story on WISH-TV8

Last night, WISH-TV8 in Indianapolis aired a story about the increase in request for assistance at The Salvation Army in Greenwood.  But Salvation Army service centers throughout the state are seeing similar increases and are also running out of resources in order to meet the increased need.

You can help.  Your generosity can help put food on a table for a family who can’t do so for themselves for the very first time.  To find a Salvation Army near you, visit our Locations Page.  You can contact us and make food or financial donation.  You can also make an Online Donation.  Your donation will be put to use right away to help those in need.

If you would like to become a volunteer for The Salvation Army, contact Elizabeth Wilhelm at 317-224-1010.

BD’s Mongolian Grill, Guest Grillers help us ‘Bite Back’

Indy took a big ole ‘bite out of homelessness’ last night at BD’s Mongolian Grill as about 60 diners showed up to watch our Guest Grillers serve up some stir-fry and entertainment. Thanks to all our Guest Grillers: the fabulous folks from WISH TV-8…Andi Hauser (Indy Style), Steve Bray (Chief Meteorologist) and Ashley Adamson (Sports Reporter) as well as our Homelessness Bites spokesperson and i94′s Marco Show co-host, Mel McMahon and our good friend Dave “the King” Wilson who donned aprons and learned how to ‘go mongo’. We even got our Salvation Army Indiana Divisional Commander, Major Richard Amick behind the grill with WISH TV-8′s Chief Meteorologist, Steve Bray to take a turn at the grill! All busy, busy people who heard about those 1,500 kids who spend their nights on the streets of Indy and stepped up to do something about it.

And we just can’t say enough about the amazing, fabulous team at BD’s Mongolian Grill in Castleton. The place has really hoppin’ and the servers and grillers kept up with the crowd. It was a fun, relaxed atmosphere and the food is fantastic! We appreciate how easytheir team made it to kick off National Salvation Army Week.

But the fun’s not over yet! Today, we’ll be down at the Indiana War Memorial Museum for the dedication of the WWI Salvation Army Doughnut Girls exhibit at 1:30. Thursday is our Dine to Donate event at the Castleton Max & Erma’s (go here to print the flyer you’ll need to present so 20% of your bill will support our mission). And then the big finale, ‘Eat Outside the Box’ picnic to end homelessness on Friday at Veteran’s Memorial Plaza from 10am-2pm. 

Speaking of Friday’s event, booth space is still available if your business or non-profit would like to join us. Just $50 will put you in front of about 500 prospects and behind a great cause. To learn more, go here or give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

It’s National Salvation Army Week

We’ve got some great events planned to help get Indy involved in “doing the most good”. We’ll be out and about this week and we hope you’ll join us:

Monday, May 10 – Dine to Donate at BD’s Mongolian Grill (3838 E. 82nd Street, Castleton) $15 for all-you-can-eat stir-fry, soup and salad. Click here for more info.

Tuesday, May 11 – WWI Salvation Army Doughnut Girls exhibit dedication, Indiana War Memorial (431 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis)

Thursday, May 13 – Dine to Donate at Max & Erma’s (5899 E. 86th Street, Castleton) 4-10pm. 20% of dine-in and carry out proceeds will benefit The Salvation Army. Don’t forget to take the flyer with you (we only get credit for your meal if you present the flyer).

Friday, May 14 – Eat Outside the Box (Veteran’s Memorial Plaza, 550 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis) 10am-2pm. Just $5 for a hot dog or hamburger, chips and a drink! [Thanks to our partners for donating lunch: All-American Picnic Company for the 'dogs and burgers, GFS for the chips, Noodles and Company for the water and Ricker's for the soft drinks] Come enjoy lunch and throw a game of cornhole for a great cause – helping Indy’s homeless and abused moms and kids.

It’s not too late  – if you’re interested in planning an event or getting the folks at the office involved, give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

Go Mongo…for a good cause

We’re kicking off National Salvation Army Week with a Dine to Donate at BD’s Mongolian Grill in Castleton on Monday, May 11 starting at 4pm. Each hour we’ll be hosting a guest griller, so we’ll be serving up some excellent dinner and some fun, too! Ever been to a Mongolian event? Check out this clip to see how the folks at BD’s are helping non-profits raise funds and awareness for their causes. The tickets are $15 for all-you-can-eat entree, soup and salad and $5 comes straight to us to help men, women and children in need right here in our city! Pair it with a beverage and you’re ‘doing the most good’ for your tummy and your community.

Can’t make it, but want to donate to support The Salvation Army? You can do that here. Thanks!

Our partners, our champions

Reaching out to our neighbors in need takes a team effort – from businesses, our volunteers, our staff, our community. On Wednesday night, we paused to take a few hours to honor some of our team, our champions, who have really gone above and beyond to make a difference in our city. All of our partners play a vital role in how we reach out to those in need, so it was difficult to choose just two to honor, but that was the plan. So, our deepest thanks and congratulations to Reach USA/ValPak and Two Men and a Truck for your work in 2009.

Reach USA/ValPak and Jim Brantley – We honored them for helping us get the word out. In our efforts to use our donor support to do the most good, The Salvation Army uses less than 1/2% of our budget to advertise and market our organization and services. Reach USA/ValPak works with us to get the most out of those dollars, offering reduced rate and sometimes even free space in their publications. And in 2009, Reach USA/ValPak was our WIBC Radiothon Phone Bank sponsor – donating their dollars and their employees’ time answering phones and helping out at Emmis. Jim offers his time and talent serving on our Advisory Board and Development Committee as well. Thanks, Reach USA/ValPak!

Two Men and a Truck and Drew Werling – We honored Two Men for all of the support their offer by transporting coat and toy donations during our annual Coats for Kids and WISHTree/Angel Tree collection drives. That’s no small task to pick up thousands of coats and toys from locations all over the city and get them efficiently to us to distribute to thousands of families in need. Two Men is also a title sponsor of our Homelessness Bites campaign for homeless and abused women and children. Drew believed in us when the campaign started and has supported us every step of the way. And we can’t forget the dozens of boxes they’ve donated to ship Operation Compassion care packages to our troops serving overseas. Thanks, Two Men!

And finally, a special thanks to our Advisory Board Chair, Diane Nichols (Perkins Nichols Media) for her tireless efforts to promote the brand and cause of The Salvation Army.

We are so appreciative that we could share the evening with friends from Kroger, WISH TV-8, the Northwest Indianapolis Kiwanis and Tuchman Cleaners as well. Thanks for taking the time to see how your support changes lives.

If you’d like to partner with The Salvation Army, give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

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