Salvation Army serves up help and hope

March 2012 tornado coverage

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David Longest recently delivered a signature umbrella and special gift of $1,515 to Roxanne Haley of the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana to help with the organization’s relief efforts in Henryville following the March 2 tornadoes. The money was raised through donations from New Albany High School Theatre audiences who dropped donations in buckets in the school’s lobby during NAHS theater students’ recent performance of “Singing in the Rain.” Submitted photo

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April 8, 2012

Salvation Army serves up help and hope

Organization continues to reach out to victims of March 2 tornadoes

NEWS AND TRIBUNE newsroom@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Sun Apr 08, 2012, 03:21 PM EDT

NEW ALBANY — “March2Recovery” is much more than a play on words to the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana. It’s the theme of many churches and agencies that have united to help masses of people in need.

Since the widespread disasters caused by the March 2 tornadoes in Southern Indiana, recovery has been the focus of the Salvation Army’s service, providing a daunting amount of assistance to families in Southern Indiana’s hardest-hit communities of Henryville, Pekin, Otisco, Marysville and Nabb.

The Salvation Army, which has been based in New Albany since 1883, provides shelter and food for those in need in Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Scott and Washington counties. During March, the agency served 1,537 individuals in 498 families in the tornado-stricken towns alone. Its staff gave out 300 large boxes of food in addition to providing 14,410 meals from three mobile kitchens.

The devastation is the worst local disaster that Roxanne Haley, business administrator for the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana, has seen in her 22 years with the agency. But, as in other times of need, the community rallies and opens its heart and wallets to reach out to the ones in crisis, she said.

“All of our work and materials and supplies have been the result of donations from the community, including individuals, businesses, churches, civic groups, special fund raisers of all sizes and the WAVE TV-3 Telethon,” she said. “Because of generosity like this, we are able to help and bring hope and keep going.”

The round-the-clock efforts live up to the name of the agency’s headquarters--the Salvation Army New Albany Center of Hope at 2300 Green Valley Road.

That momentum has a long way to go, Haley added, as the agency is committed to being involved in the long-term recovery. She estimates that will go on for another 18 to 24 months or more.

Tax-deductible donations will continue to be accepted at the center between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call (812) 944-1018, or log onto its website at www.SAnewalbany.org.