I really enjoyed your editorial concerning Our Daily Bread (“Making your dollars count” March 15), however there is one thing I feel needs clarification. While you are correct in saying that the Salvation Army provides food bank services, this is not the only service that they provide.
The Salvation Army provides services such as their hot breakfast program; where clients can come and have a hot breakfast, coffee or tea, snacks and the opportunity to socialize in a warm and comfortable setting, free of charge. They also provide classes like the slow cooker class, where clients are given a slow cooker, a recipe and all the ingredients to make that recipe and then taught how to make it.
They offer a 12-step program for those who wish to take it, a Ladies Fellowship open to any lady that would like to come have a snack, do a craft and socialize.
The Salvation Army has brought in street nurses to care for those who may not be able yet want to see a doctor, and provided free hearing screening. They have brought in students taking the social worker program that are looking at helping set up even more programs. Like a program that will teach people how to do a food budget and get the most for their dollar while shopping.
The food bank portion of the Salvation Army is only the tip of what they actually provide and to call it only a food bank is a great disservice to what they actually do.
Robert Leggett
Nelson