PRESS RELEASE: Salvation Army Serving After Gustav and Preparing for Ike

Even as The Salvation Army puts in long hours serving the needs of Greater Baton Rouge, the Incident Command Center is making contingency plans for The Salvation Army’s response to Hurricane Ike.

“We were here with Gustav, we are serving now, and we will be here to serve with Ike. The Salvation Army of Baton Rouge is here to meet human need in God’s name, whenever and wherever we find it.” – Major Stephen Long, Baton Rouge Commander.

SERVICE BY THE NUMBERS

Service Day Six

19,434 Meals Served Today

14,488 Snacks Served Today

20,696 Drinks Served Today

62,861 Total Meals Served-To-Date

30,558 Meals Served in East Baton Rouge Parish

6860 Meals Served in West Baton Rouge Parish

8559 Meals Served in Livingston Parish

11,017 Meals Served in Iberville Parish

2904 Meals Served in Ascension Parish

1492 Meals Served in Pointe Coupee Parish

1471 Meals Served in St. Mary's Parish

8192 Total Hours Served-To-Date

25 Canteens in service today

28 Canteens will be in service tomorrow

Plus an additional two (2) canteens rotating for maintenance

Two Cooking Kitchens

One Baptist Kitchens

One Salvation Army Kitchen

71 Salvation Army workers brought into Baton Rouge to serve

Plus an additional 87 staff and program participants already here

Countless lives touched in the 103 years The Salvation Army has been serving Baton Rouge

"800"

King Leonidas and his famed 300 Spartans pale in comparison to today’s 800. The Salvation Army learned of 823 Baton Rouge seniors whose promised hot meals failed to be delivered. Just before noon today, Lt. Jason Burns, The Salvation Army’s Liaison to the Office of Emergency Preparedness, called to tell the Incident Command team there was a need, and The Salvation Army needed to find a way to fill it in the next hour or so.

The team started to discuss how to meet an additional 800 meals, with no surplus of food, no team to serve it, and no vehicle to deliver it. As the team started ‘around the table,’ in walked the crew of the just arrived Laredo, Texas Disaster Team.

“We’re here to report in,” said a quite man. “…We’re from Laredo, and we’ve got a workhorse canteen, fully loaded to feed 700.”

“You are an answer to prayer!” Replied Major Rob Vincent, Incident Commander.

Not even twenty minutes later, the Texas canteen was in route to the senior center. They cooked a hot meal on-site for the residents…bringing comfort to some of Baton Rouge’s most cherished citizens.

Lt. Burns, a Salvation Army officer in Memphis, Tennessee, is a vital member of the Incident Command System. He is The Salvation Army representative in Baton Rouge’s OEP. In addition to keeping the city officials and other agency’s informed of what The Salvation Army is doing in its relief efforts, Lt. Burns also collects and distills vital information from the collective group. Without his efforts, it would be almost impossible accurately forecast need and resource availability.

“I’d rather be on a canteen in the communities; serving food and ministering to hurting souls, that’s where the real work is done. But, this is where I am. I want to make sure I do the best that I can.” – Lt. Jason Burns, Baton Rouge Incident Command Liaison.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by Hurricane Gustav to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Monetary donations are needed to meet survivors’ most immediate needs. A $100 donation will feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies. The Salvation Army is currently not accepting donations of clothing and furniture for storm victims, please forward these donations to The Salvation Army Family Store nearest you.