Monday, we welcomed Major Danny Pinksen from the Salvation Army to speak to the club about how the Salvation Army supports various community members and adapting to Covid.
Danny started by explaining the strong relationship between The Rotary Club of Windsor 1918 and The Salvation Army.
For more than 100 years, the Salvation Army has played a critical part in our community, offering various services that adjust to its needs. Some of their programs include
- Offer spiritual care
- Shelter and meals
- Emergency shelter (most known for but only a portion of what they do) for people who are experiencing homelessness
- Support with basic staples, food, clothing, counselling
- Community meals – a vital community-building initiative.
The Pathways of Hope Program is new to Windsor but not new to the Salvation Army. Described as a high-impact program where families develop goals together—paired with a caseworker, guides them and help them achieve life long success. It is a very transformative experience for the families that complete the program. To date, five families have graduated from the program, but there are many more on the waitlist.
Major Danny explained that the Salvation Army tries to help everyone, even if it falls outside their usual scope.
Fundraising is the foundation of The Salvation Army. The Christmas Kettle Bell is their biggest fundraiser of the year. Still, they have had to adapt it to Covid this year, adopting a touchless terminal.
There are three ways to support the Salvation Army this holiday season.
- Tap terminal
- Family kettle.com (donate within the postal code)
- Salvationarmy.ca
Many people wonder what happens to their donation. We're excited to share that 100% of the funds stay locally, right here in the community!
Major Danny's finishing statement, "We can't do what they do without the community support. On behalf of The Salvation Army, we would like to thank the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) for their support over the years and building a better community."