Doing the Most Good
On February 15, 2018, a destructive and powerful storm caused both tornadic and flooding activity in Fayette County. According to Red Cross assessments as of February 28, 2018, a staggering 616 properties sustained damage, and 25 properties have been destroyed. The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) was on the scene since February 17, 2018 at the Holiday Inn Express Uniontown hotel, where emergency shelter and feeding were ongoing. The homes of twenty-three families from a local low-income housing development were heavily damaged from the storm.
The Salvation Army’s Uniontown Center also served victims by providing twenty-five clean-up kits and 400 units of cleaning supplies for homes, food and beverages and personal hygiene items. During a MARC (Multi Agency Resource Center) set up on February 26 and February 27, the Salvation Army depleted their entire stock of gift cards – giving 100 households a $100 gift card each. Many more families signed up for the gift card waiting list, hoping that more would become available.
In the spring of 2018, the Community Foundation of Fayette County awarded the Salvation Army’s Uniontown Center with a grant to assist with funding. With the grant, the Salvation Army provided 848 meals, 200 gift cards, 1,264 flood clean-up kits, 130 hygiene kits, six blankets and 538 bottles of water to the flood victims.
“The Salvation Army is always willing to assist in every situation, no matter how big or small. We do not have administrative costs. Every penny goes to a service or needy person. It goes to the cause,” said Major Deborah Weigner. Major Weigner and her husband Major Henry Weigner manage the Uniontown Center.
To learn more about the Salvation Army’s Uniontown Center, visit www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn.
