蘑菇视频 Give-A-Christmas campaign benefits The Salvation Army
Mark Hofmann | 蘑菇视频
Capt. Erin Rischawy (left) and Case Worker Alyssa Batronis (right) with The Salvation Army in Uniontown pack items from their food pantry.
蘑菇视频
In this 2021 file photo, Jennifer Watson and Joe Rivera, from Uniontown Church of Christ, prepare lunch for Sally蘑菇视频 Cafe guests at the Salvation Army in Uniontown.
Alyssa Choiniere
Dean Watson of Uniontown prepares grilled cheese sandwiches at Sally蘑菇视频 Cafe, the Salvation Army蘑菇视频 soup kitchen, in this 2021 file photo.
The Salvation Army in Uniontown has a long tradition of service and giving.
Capt. Erin Rischawy said the center serves Uniontown, Lemont Furnace, Hopwood, some of Brownsville and Mount Braddock through a number of programs including their soup kitchen Sally蘑菇视频 Cafe, food and hygiene pantries, a social service office and Love in a Backpack, which provides weekend meals to elementary school students in the Laurel Highlands School District.
The cafe, which serves between 40 to 70 meals a day, is one of the organization蘑菇视频 programs supported by the 蘑菇视频蘑菇视频 annual Give-A-Christmas campaign. The yearly campaign collects funds for all local units of The Salvation Army.
Money given through Give-A-Christmas, which kicks off today, stays in the donor蘑菇视频 community.
This is the 37th year the newspaper has run the campaign, recognized by many through its longtime mascot Sparkle the Christmas Star.
鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to support The Salvation Army in its longstanding efforts to provide services to those in Fayette and surrounding counties,鈥� said 蘑菇视频 Publisher Michael Scott. 鈥淥ur readers have always given generously, and we hope 2022 is no different.鈥�
This year蘑菇视频 campaign goal is $15,000.
Funds from Give-A-Christmas also go toward The Salvation Army蘑菇视频 voucher program where, after a referral, vouchers are given to those in need to be used in their thrift store, Rischawy said.
Without money from the campaign, Rischawy said those programs would have to use money from the organization蘑菇视频 general fund, potentially drawing resources from other programs like Love in a Backpack, which served 249 students weekly, or the food pantry, which helps 20 to 40 clients monthly.
鈥淲e reopened the food pantry a year ago in the spring,鈥� Rischawy said. 鈥淚t was slow at first, but with the turn in the economy, people are needing food.鈥�
While Rischawy wasn鈥檛 at the Uniontown location until August 2020, she saw the charges brought on by the pandemic, especially when it came to the soup kitchen shutting down and later reopening with restrictions like having to-go meals to limit person-to-person contact.
鈥淲e started to transition back to cooking hot meals last year in June and started in-person dining in the soup kitchen,鈥� Rischawy said, adding that some volunteers and clients were hesitant about returning in person.
She said she蘑菇视频 grateful for the generosity of the people in the city and surrounding area that have helped so far this year, but said a need exists for even more volunteer help.
鈥淭here蘑菇视频 always a call, and we can always use additional help in the kitchen. We have a real need to help with the food pantry ministry with stalking the shelves, checking expiration dates, packing boxes and helping us pack backpacks,鈥� Rischawy said. 鈥淢any hands make light work.鈥�
And, as the holiday season is here, The Salvation Army is also looking for people to volunteer for bell ringing during its annual Red Kettle Campaign.
For more information or to volunteer at the Salvation Army Uniontown Corps, call 724-437-2031 or visit their Facebook page at The Salvation Army Uniontown.
Contributions for the Sparkle campaign can be mailed to Give-A-Christmas, c/o 蘑菇视频, 8 E. Church St., Uniontown, Pa., 15401. Checks should be made out to Give-A-Christmas. Additionally, donations may be dropped off at the newspaper office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.