ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT WAFFLES FOR THE ARMY BEHIND THE ARMY
The Salvation Army of Central Maryland held its first annual Volunteer Brunch in July 2022
Ever since The Salvation Army of Central Maryland had its humble beginnings as part of an open-air ministry by Cross Street Market (Federal Hill) on October 17, 1880, we’ve relied heavily on our volunteers. Our volunteers in Baltimore, Howard County, Glen Burnie, Carroll County, Cecil County and Harford County play a crucial role in The Salvation Army’s ability to provide quality social services for the entire community.
The Salvation Army is grateful for our 753 volunteers who served 23, 374 hours helping with:
- Feedmore, Mobile Canteen: Volunteers come out 6 nights a week to feed street homeless in East Baltimore.
- CSFP Warehouse: Every weekend, volunteers from all walks of life convene at our warehouse to pack 2,200-2,800 grocery boxes (for the month) for low-income seniors.
- Angel Tree: Around Christmas time, our volunteers collect, pack, and distribute big, black, trash bags full of toys for children in need.
- Christmas Red Kettle Counting: Around Christmas time, volunteers meet at our office to count money collected from our Red Kettle fundraiser.
- Howard County, Glen Burnie, Carroll County, Havre De Grace Service Centers: Each service center provides feedings, pantry items, prayers, and opportunities for help.
- Boys and Girls Clubs: Volunteers mentor, play, and teach children to be independent and confident adults.
- The Salvation Army of Central Maryland Office: Our volunteers manage phone calls, organize storage space, and perform administrative tasks.
- Temple Corps, Hampden Corps, Havre De Grace Corps, Middle River Corps: Our volunteers pray for people in need, provide food and literature, and help families during disasters.
- Cornbread Café: Every Thursday, Salvationists from Temple Corps drive around West Baltimore to provide food, prayers, literature, and a kind ear to street homeless.
- Brass Hat Café: Volunteers assist cooking and serving family-style meals to people who are unemployed, who are financially strapped, and who are in need of help.
- Howard County’s Thrift Store: Volunteers collect, sort, manage and distribute clothing to families. This thrift store is solely run by over 60 volunteers, who often come daily.
In over 140 years of being stationed in Baltimore, The Salvation Army of Central Maryland has never had a volunteer luncheon to celebrate our volunteers and their many achievements. Early July of this year, our staff made an infinite amount of waffles, sausage links, muffins, coffee, juices and had a colorful arrangement of pastries and fruits for over 60 volunteers who have provided The Salvation Army 1 year to 40 years of service. Each attendee was awarded a certificate of achievement, given an antique Salvation Army pin from the 1950s, a goody bag, and a bookmark they can use for their bibles.
Notable volunteer winners at the luncheon were:
1.) Suzi Fischer for Angel Tree. Suzi has spent countless hours upstairs at our office, picking up, organizing, clothing. She’s also the main point of contact for making sure all outfits and toys stay intact.
2.) Baltimore Rotary Club District 7620 for packaging 900 boxes for low-income seniors as part of our CSFP program
3.) Cathy Brown for managing administrative duties for our front desk and for tackling difficult calls. She has also created hand-made cards for our Development department.
4.) Larry Pope for going above and beyond the call of duty. He has made several tours during natural disasters, helped at the Howard county thrift store, provides meals and helps with Feedmore, mobile canteen, and tries to give anyone a hand.
The Salvation Army was also fortunate to have Sergeant Terrance Heyward of Southwest Police Division and Deriece Harrington, Director of Government Affairs for PepsiCo speak about the benefits of volunteering for your local community.
Major DeeAnn Glick, Area Commander of The Salvation Army of Central Maryland, had closing remarks on how volunteers go above and beyond the call of duty. And that we’ll always be thankful for their bright light, helping hands, and kind hearts.
Are you interested in volunteering? Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Samantha Bowman at: [email protected]