Salvation Army serves thousands of community members

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)

The Salvation Army in Columbia provides food for over 5,000 members of the community, and another 4,500 in Jefferson City, as its Christmas program increased by 58% in 2019.

“These next two weeks with kids out of school, that’s an extra burden for parents," said Salvation Army Major Nancy Holloway. “We always see an increase in our community meal program at both of our shelters.”

The Salvation Army pantry depends on fundraising, the local food bank, farmers and other companies in the area to help provide produce, protein, and other essentials for the season.

“We want to be able to have funding that’s not just for Christmas but for year-round," said Holoway. "Both communities have shelters in them, Columbia is a 61-bed shelter, Jefferson City is a 31-bed shelter. Jefferson City, one night last week, doubled the size, so we had 31 extra people in there because of the cold cot program. It’s essential that we keep these programs running.”

The Salvation Army fundraising is essential to meet its goals and help serve the community.