Salvation Army in plea to ‘make change’

The Salvation Army has pleaded with individuals and businesses to give as generously as they can even now, as the charity faces ever-increasing demand which is overwhelming its supplies.

The plea came from Business Manager of the Salvation Army Sherma Evelyn during a presentation of school supplies to the organization from Bridgetown Duty Free, formerly Cave Shepherd, and Managing Director of Abed’s, Eddy Abed, on Tuesday.

During the morning’s handing-over ceremony, Evelyn revealed that though last year was a good year in terms of funds collected, the prolonged periods of shut down added to the lack of employment for many Barbadians, has affected the food and in particular the clothing supplies of the Army significantly.

She said: “Last year around this time we had no clothes again, [but] the public of Barbados was very good to us in that by December we had a whole set of clothes. [With] the shutdown in January and February and so, we encountered that the clothes were not coming as fast as we were sorting them and putting them in the thrift store and also giving them away.

“During that time we also had Hurricane Elsa, we had the ash fall, [and] we had persons who were fire victims… so not only do we take clothes, but we take furniture. So people came for beds.”

Evelyn said that with each programme being interconnected in support of one another, such as the sales made in the thrift shop being used to support their feeding of over 200 people daily, the Salvation Army has been taking a large financial hit for most of 2021 so far.

One of the few success stories during the course of the last several months of COVID-19 has been the Christmas drive, which Evelyn said was a surprising success during 2020.

The Salvation Army business manager said: “Last year’s Christmas drive was excellent, for the first time we were actually able to meet our target of $700,000. We were able to raise $746,000 and as you know that is not just used at Christmas that is spread out the whole year and by now we would have done our mid-year appeal. That is going okay, we have found Barbados does not really give during the mid-year, they more give to back to school and Christmas.”

Evelyn also made clear that though many people hovering around the poverty line would often need assistance, with over 100 families seeking assistance currently, many Barbadians of different working levels are seeking help after being forced out of jobs because of COVID.

She said: “We had a cross-section of persons who came to us – one of the experiences was we saw a lady who came to us originally to say she needed help in the initial lockdown, and she said she never thought she would have to come to the Salvation Army. She came and she had a good box, and she was on a rotation of every two weeks getting a food box… if you saw the vehicle she drives you would see the calibre of person she was.

“When Christmas came, she had a job, and she came and she said this is for helping me when I had nothing, and she gave a donation. So that just tells you the calibre of people that we help.”

In giving brief remarks during the presentation, Eddy Abed admitted it was a testing period for the business community, as many of them still lacked the funds and resources needed to give as generously as they did in the past, however, he still implored businesses and Barbadians to give what they can in order to assist citizens in dire need.

He said: “I am reaching out to corporate Barbados and asking, if you can assist in whatever means, please do so. The need has not stopped, it is even greater, and any little bit you can give back I am telling you, you will be appreciated.

“Get in touch with all of the various agencies and state organizations who are trying their utmost to assist, and see what you can do to help carry their load, because it’s been extremely difficult.” (SB)