It’s back-to-school time as The Salvation Army hands out supplies, food

Rome, Georgia: When the Rome Corps heads out to distribute food, it often is accompanied by helpers Aliyah Seritt (left), 9, and Madilyn Seritt, 6. The Seritt sisters happen to be the granddaughters of corps officers Lieutenants Paula and Tim Blevins. “Our granddaughters have gone with us several times to do food distribution in the community since we arrived in Rome on June 22,” Lieutenant Paula said. “They have loved it; they always look forward to it. They also participated in school supply distribution after Stuff the Bus. They are learning good lessons on helping and serving people in need. They also know that we spend some time sharing the gospel of Jesus during these distributions.” The Blevins and volunteers distribute food at 1:30 p.m. Thursdays, serving 30 to 35 families. They started with food boxes, and when those ran out, they began giving out food bags with canned items and other non-perishables – along with cold water, Gatorade, frozen meat, War Cry magazines and church flyers. The food comes from community donations and the yearly Can-a-Thon. During the school supplies distribution, the corps also gave out vacation Bible school printed materials.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina: The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club has been laser-focused on education this summer, helping students make up for all the missed school in the spring. Student instructors from Wake Forest University recently spent a day leading kids virtually in STEM for Girls science experiments, concentrating their efforts on the water cycle. Students made clouds from shaving cream and conducted other experiments.

Richmond, Virginia: The Salvation Army Central Virginia Area Command has been doing the most good by offering the coldest popsicles on the hottest days to its friends in the community. The “Popsicles With a Purpose” distribution, part of the Army’s Christmas in July event in Richmond, shared cool treats with residents in the neighborhood surrounding the Citadel Corps.

Shreveport, Louisiana: The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, with volunteers and partner Healthy Blue Louisiana Medicaid, handed out more than 200 school supply boxes and grab-and-go bags Saturday, Aug. 8, at a Grab & Go Supplies Giveway at the club.

Charleston, South Carolina: Captain Mike Michels and his helpers packed over 1,000 boxes of food items to help The Salvation Army prepare for the Lowcountry Food Distribution. The food drive took place in two locations as the Army partnered with the Charleston and North Charleston police departments, the City of Charleston and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Cindy Colbert Hindmon and Glenda Christian Clark, volunteers of the week of July 9 with The Salvation Army of Chattanoooga, work hard at area command sorting and preparing hundreds of auction items for the virtual banquet in September. Cindy manages the Angel Tree toy shop and is a weekly Karaoke Day participant at The ReCreate Cafe. Glenda aids families applying for the Angel Tree program and volunteers for many other Christmas and community events. Both serve on the women’s auxiliary. During their years of volunteering, they have helped hundreds of people in need. Their kind and caring personalities are a true blessing to the community.

Augusta, Georgia: The Salvation Army Augusta Area Command and its local partners distributed face masks and hand sanitizers to more than 500 people Thursday morning, Aug. 13, in a community-wide distribution of COVID-19 personal protection at The Salvation Army Center of Hope and three city fire stations. The Augusta National Golf Club donated the masks, while the Augusta University Health Care System donated the hand sanitizers. Shown outside the Center of Hope are (from left) Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis Jr.; Major Douglas McClure, Augusta area commander; Mie Lucas, deputy director of the Augusta-Richmond County Emergency Management Agency; and Fire Chief Christopher James, director of the Augusta-Richmond EMA.