The Salvation Army

Poverty can be found in every city of every country. Some cities have a higher percentage than others. El Paso is not the exception; of course it is not as extreme as what we have seen on videos of Pakistan, Afghanistan, or third world countries, but the need still exists. It is very poignant to see people on the streets begging, suffering from hunger and health, and without a house to live in. Many people live in low conditions due to different circumstances in their lives such as unemployment, lack of low income housing, personal problems, among others. One of the biggest drawbacks for these people is the deficiency of knowledge, not intelligence nor education, but knowledge of all the help and advantages that the government, community, and non-profit organizations can assist them with and provide to them.

“Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination,” this is the mission of The Salvation Army, founded in 1865 by William Booth as an “evangelical organization,” meaning the fighting force to embrace the salvation. Booth began by preaching the gospel during the hard times of Europe during the late 1800’s, and giving comfort to those in need. Little by little more people followed his word and joined his army of salvation increasing the number of gospel preachers, also known as ‘disciples.’ The army for salvation was set, and spread throughout Europe, and America. Today, this is an international non-profit organization which has helped countless number of people around the world. The Salvation Army has been rebuilding lives by providing comfort and support to the poor, homeless, hungry, needy, and those who have been affected by natural disasters. The Salvation Army’s officers (‘soldiers’) and volunteers (‘the army behind the army’) are found in over 118 countries ready to fight against misfortunes such as those recent ones in Indonesia’s volcanic eruption, Pakistan’s floods, New Zealand’s earthquake, and in the past most of its support went to the United States when the hurricane Katrina.

The Salvation Army does not only concentrate on major, international disasters, but also in helping local communities. El Paso is very fortunate to have this army established, because it has helped many people in need. Here, in El Paso, there are families of low income, people begging on the streets without shelter that need help either financially or by being provided with goods. How the Salvation Army reaches out to the community and what it does for these families and individuals is amazing. There is a program initiated by the First Lady as a way to give back to the community by ‘Feed the Homeless’ they offer lunch to the homeless, this is offered also at the Salvation Army centers. One of their main projects in El Paso, where they get all the community involved and gives to a large number of families, is the Christmas Charity also known as ‘Secret Santa’. As a non-profit organization they prepare with several months in advance by collecting donations. The idea is to put together food goods to help these needy families when it comes to sitting down at the dinner table with a nice warm meal to celebrate the holidays. Everything helps; people donate everything from can goods, pastas, and stuffing, to cereal, cookies, and juice, among other foods. Companies also donate products such as the turkeys, hams, and gallons of milk. The Salvation Army is aware of the low income of these families and knows that parents are not able to buy gifts for their children, so they also provide them with toys to the little ones. Another project that they do during the holidays is the Christmas Tree at the malls, children’s names are written on papers that hang from the tree, and people get those papers and buy clothing or toys so that this kids receive a gift from ‘Santa.’

Going back to talking about the deficiency about knowledge, many people are not aware of this event or any other, because they are not well informed. For such event mentioned above, people have to register around August-September. Maybe the problem is that The Salvation Army is not advertising itself properly, although a large number of families get registered, it might be that people do not pay attention or look for help. Some people might not have access to the internet, but there are at least six Salvation Army centers located in El Paso, where people can go get information and help. This organization is supported by financial, goods, vehicles, and planned growing donations. It also works with some of the school districts; one of them is the Socorro ISD. Schools participate in a friendly competition to collect donations, or volunteer at the Secrete Santa and the collection of monetary donations at the Cielo Vista mall.

This international, non-profit organization gives out to the poor, homeless, hungry, and needy, but it would not be able to do so without the support of its community (the army behind the army), together they meet human needs, which is exactly what Booth had envisioned. Some people help support it, others receive from it, and unfortunately many still do not know about the great faith that The Salvation Army can offer to them. Sadly, there are some families that know about this organization, but take too much advantage of it when they really do not need that help as much as others do. The Salvation Army is there for those who want it, for those who are looking for salvation, not only physically but also spiritually.