Salvation Army has helped Modestans for 130 years, now it needs Modesto’s help

Since 1890, The Salvation Army has been serving in the greater Modesto community, getting to know the people and helping them meet local needs. When we come to town, we come to stay and become a part of the community. And you become part of us.

In those nearly 130 years, thousands of valley residents have volunteered to sit on our boards, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, coach basketball, teach Sunday school and do so much more. It’s not just a saying: We really can’t do the most good without you.

Like many of you, we’re still here though life has become harder than it used to be. There was a time when we could stay current on our bills while planning for new programs and ways to serve our neighbors.

In recent years, we’ve struggled. When we’d sit down with staff and board members to look at how we could balance the books while delivering quality programs, we often considered doing less so we could live within our means. Just when we’d begin to talk about cutting back on a program, we’d get a reprieve from our leadership. In truth, well-funded programs in other communities were financially shoring up The Salvation Army’s Modesto programs.

Those days are over. We are committed to doing only what we can afford to do. That’s what healthy organizations do.

It is through your generosity that we have been able to serve Modesto through such a large footprint of service, operating myriad programs at The Modesto Citadel, the Salvation Army Red Shield Community Center, and Salvation Army Haig & Isabel Berberian Shelter and Transitional Living Center.

In 2017, we distributed nearly 3 million pounds of food, including at more than 60 different USDA Commodity distribution locations each month, food pantries and congregate meals. We provided meals at our locations, including the Berberian Shelter, lunch at the Salvation Army Citadel and meals and snacks at the Red Shield Center, serving up to 250 people every weekday

We’re feeding minds through our Child Development Center with state-funded, need-based pre-school for 58 students, providing school readiness for kindergarten. We also provide basic social services such as the Shower Shuttle each Thursday.

We work with families experiencing unexpected financial difficulties. Our Red Shield Community Center has been helping at-risk young people and their families for nearly 50 years by providing a safe place for hundreds of kids each month. The Berberian Shelter is not only an emergency shelter, but also a transitional living center for veterans and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Alternative Program to help acquire permanent housing, employment and educational skills. When it is too hot or too cold, the Shelter serves as a warming and cooling center, as does the downtown Citadel.

The good news is that there will always be people, corporations, foundations and even government agencies of good will that can help us keep the doors open. We stand committed to serving the people of Modesto with good programs that help them through tough times and set them on a path for their future.

The Salvation Army isn’t going anywhere. We’re here to stay, but we need you more than ever. Expect to hear from us soon on how you can help us meet Modesto’s most pressing needs.

This story was originally published March 24, 2018 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Salvation Army has helped Modestans for 130 years, now it needs Modesto’s help."