Salvation Army Jefferson Service Unit in desperate need of more donations

By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

June 27, 2009 12:43 am

— JEFFERSON — It has only been six months since Christmas, but the emergency funds raised through the Salvation Army Jefferson Service Unit kettle campaign are used up.
“Our fiscal year is from Oct. 1 to the following Oct. 1, and typically our budget is able to assist needy families with a payment on a utility bill, but this year, we ran out of funds in May,” said Gordon Emerson, the Salvation Army Jefferson Service Unit chairman. “Unfortunately, the message on our answering machine says money will not be available again until after September when a new funding year begins.”
The Salvation Army Jefferson Service Unit is located inside St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 89 E. Satin St., Jefferson, and is an independent unit within the Cleveland Salvation Army district.
Because of the economic downturn, the Jefferson Unit has seen an unprecedented amount of families needing emergency funds to help with various utility bills, prescription costs, clothing and a used appliance replacement, Emerson said.
“The most common need is keeping a family’s electricity on and fuel for heat,” he said. “Our phone is still ringing everyday with needy people hoping for help.”
Families receiving assistance of any kind from the Salvation Army are screened for income and residency, and must meet criteria based on federal poverty guidelines, Emerson said.
The public can help fill the financial gap this summer by mailing an “emergency fund” donation to the Salvation Army Jefferson Service Unit at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.