Salvation Army

On April 20, The Salvation Army held its annual recognition dinner for those who volunteered and assisted the needy in Washington County in 2009. Approximately 180 people gathered at the Elks Lodge to enjoy a meal and program hosted by Maj. Robert and Maj. Karen Lyle, commanding officers of the Hagerstown corps. The evening was directed by Master of Ceremonies Ward Childerston. Don Talbert, retiring chairman of the advisory board, thanked the many volunteers. Amy Whittington, incoming chairman of the board, gave her vision of the future, including the capital campaign later this year.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Plans for the annual Franklin County Salvation Army Christmas dinner are still under way, organizers said last week. "We are working to make sure anyone who is alone on Christmas Day will have a warm meal and a present," organizer Lynne Newman said in a news release. Volunteers are busy gathering items for the meal, which will be served from noon to 2 p.m. Christmas Day in the Salvation Army lunch room on Lincoln Way West in Chambersburg. Anyone who wishes a meal, or who would like to donate food or presents, or who would like to volunteer should call Newman at 717-263-2151 or 717-360-2407.

The Christmas stocking drive at Grace Academy in Hagerstown collected more than 100 stockings for The Salvation Army children. The second-grade class was the first class in the school to fill 12 stockings. The Grace Academy Missions Team was in charge of the project and took the Christmas stockings to The Salvation Army to be given to children in need.

Jim Shifler said his first contact with the Salvation Army was watching a bell-ringer trying to raise money on a frigid day. He thought to himself "what dedication. " He mentioned that memory Friday, when the Salvation Army broke ground on a new community center in Hagerstown. "When I could afford to give some money to the Salvation Army, I tried to give them a pretty good check each year," said Shifler, a retired insurance agent. Shifler, a Salvation Army advisory board member for 14 years, donated more than $600,000 toward the $1.8 million project.

In honor of the holiday season, The Columbia Bank will donate $1 to The Salvation Army for each new fan they receive on Facebook before Christmas Day. The Facebook campaign will allow new fans to connect with The Columbia Bank and also play a role in supporting a worthy cause in their community. To become a fan of The Columbia Bank, visit www.thecolumbiabank.com and click in the lower right-hand corner of the page on the link to "Give the Gift of Fandom. "

The red plastic kettles that started appearing in Washington County on Monday are a symbol of The Salvation Army's mission to serve others, said Amy Whittington, chairwoman of the local Salvation Army's advisory board. For some, the kettles and bell ringers are a cheery sign of the holiday season, Whittington told those gathered at the Valley Mall's Food Court on Monday as The Salvation Army kicked off its holiday fundraising drive. Others might see the kettles as an inconvenience or feel a twinge of guilt as they walk by and realize they have no cash in their pocket, said Whittington, admitting to the latter on occasion.

The Salvation Army Christmas Dinner committee continues to prepare for the big dinner it serves Christmas Day. Committee members have been collecting food and presents for those who either need a meal delivered or who will come to the door of The Salvation Army's building at 159 Lincoln Way West in Chambersburg for dinner, according to a news release from committee chairwoman Lynne Newman. Although the meal and other preparations are done at The Salvation Army building, the committee wants to make sure the day does not take away from the great work the organization does throughout the year in feeding those in need, Newman said.

A former homeless veteran cooked up a Thanksgiving feast for more than 250 people at the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving meal Wednesday.  “It's important to give back what was given to me, and that was help when I needed it,” said James Rhinehart, the cook for the Salvation Army's Daily Feeding Program. “These people are human beings just like everybody else.” Rhinehart said the program on busy days typically provides meals for around 170 people, but that number went up for Thanksgiving.

A Christmas bazaar will be Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the annex at The Salvation Army, 534 W. Franklin St. in Hagerstown. Gently used Christmas items will be available for sale. Proceeds will benefit The Salvation Army World Services.

marlob@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Last year, Capt. Butch Mallard worried that the surge in charitable giving following the events of Sept. 11 would have a negative impact on traditional giving to agencies such as the Salvation Army. Luckily that didn't happen. But this year, Mallard is concerned that the flagging economy and the loss of several locations for kettle drives could spell trouble just when the need is on the rise. "Just as an example, we have had 500 more children signed up this year for Christmas Angel Trees than last year," Mallard said.

At The Salvation Army of Washington County's annual appreciation dinner Thursday night, keynote speaker  Lt. Colonel Jack T. Waters called the nonprofit an organization of “second chances.” But Hagerstown resident Peggy Huff had her first chance to accept the volunteer of the year award after 36 years of service. “I didn't know I was getting this, I thought he was talking about somebody else. It kind of brought tears to my eyes,” said Huff, who started volunteering at the age of 23 and is now 60, after receiving her award.

A local professor at Hagerstown Community College put together an Easter dinner with his students at the Salvation Army on Friday. Daniel Madron, who teaches sociology at HCC, said that he and his classes have been providing a Thanksgiving meal and an Easter meal for local residents for the last three years. “We just kind of want to create some sort of normalcy for people,” he said. “Even though people might not be religious and celebrate Easter, they still know that Easter's going on and still might have a big Sunday dinner, and for people who can't afford that we want to be able to provide something similar to that.” Madron, 29, also did work for the homeless while he was a professor at Howard Community College and as a student at Eastern University in Philadelphia He said that the students' outreach was different at Howard Community College.

One of Volvo Group Hagerstown Site's more than 100 Operational Development teams had an idea that raised $32,000 for The Salvation Army.  On Jan. 25, team members toured The Salvation Army facility to see for themselves how donations have been used and are being allocated to an existing vital project.  The idea is known by the site's 1,400 employees as “vBay.” “It started in late 2011, when we assessed the collection of items and...

Betty was promoted to Glory in her home at 538 George St., Hagerstown, Md., in the loving care of her daughter Helena and her son Donnie, family, and friend Ruth. She was surrounded by her family as she departed on Jan. 30, 2013.  She was preceded in death by her father, Lawrence Stouffer, Littlestown, Pa.; mother, Pauline (Williams) Doyle of South Bend, Ind.; husband, John (Pap) D. Miller Sr., of Williamsport; and brother, Charles J. Stouffer of South Bend.  We will remember she loves God, her children, their families and her dogs, Ernie, Maggie and Bella.

This week's frigid weather has pushed REACH Caregivers Shelter to full capacity, and the organization has been letting people sleep on the floor, Executive Director Jodie Ostoich said Wednesday. “At this point we don't have beds to give out to people, but when we see snaps and spells like this we allow for overflow,” Ostoich said. She said there is a plan among the shelters in the county that allows for “overflow” if the temperature reaches 32 degrees or if sleet or freezing rain falls.

The Christmas stocking drive at Grace Academy in Hagerstown collected more than 100 stockings for The Salvation Army children. The second-grade class was the first class in the school to fill 12 stockings. The Grace Academy Missions Team was in charge of the project and took the Christmas stockings to The Salvation Army to be given to children in need.

Lew Thomas used part of his Christmas morning to help a neighboring family have a nicer holiday. Thomas, a Fayetteville, Pa., resident, was one of close to 100 drivers who took hot, freshly prepared turkey dinners Tuesday morning from The Salvation Army in Chambersburg, Pa., and delivered them to shut-ins and less-fortunate people all across Franklin County. Thomas said it was his first time volunteering as a driver for the event. He said the family to whom he took meals lives in a schoolhouse in the Duffield, Pa., area, with “eight or nine” disabled children, many requiring extensive care.

April Blackburn was selecting toys for three of her five children Thursday at the annual Salvation Army/Toys for Tots giveaway program held in the former CVS building at Longmeadow Shopping Center north of Hagerstown. “If it wasn't for this my kids wouldn't really have Christmas because I have no income,” said Blackburn, of Sharpsburg. “Family can only do so much. I'm just happy for the kids because they deserve it, and it's great that they're helping children in need.” Blackburn, 34, said she was shopping for her 9-year old daughter and her 3-year old and 4-year old sons.

Donations of toys and food are still needed for the annual Christmas Day dinner in Franklin County, Pa. Tuesday's dinner is sponsored by the Salvation Army and run by volunteers, including Lynne Newman, who is organizing the event for the 21st year. Doors open at noon at the Salvation Army building at 159 Lincoln Way West in Chambersburg, and dinner will be served until 2 p.m. Deliveries to shut-ins and others who need a Christmas meal begin normally between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Volunteers decorate the lunch room for the holiday and wrap presents as well as help cook, cut up turkeys and deliver the meals to shut-ins and serve those who come to the Salvation Army.

Just the vision of melted chocolate, sugar and vanilla mixed together into chewy Christmas cookies that melt in your mouth can tempt even those with the strongest wills. Not only are decadent sugary treats a part of the holiday season, but the familiar red kettles and sounds of Salvation Army bell ringers are synonymous with the season. The Franklin County Visitors Bureau sponsored a friendly C is for Cookie Contest at the Chambersburg (Pa.) Mall on Wednesday as part of its Food Fight on 11/30 promotional effort.