The Salvation Army’s Operation CHRIST Helps Feed Those in Need in Anchorage
T.L. Williams Grant Helps Move Weekly Meal Feeding Forward
The Salvation Army Anchorage Corps recently received a $55,000 grant from the T.L. Williams Trust Grant to kick-off Operation CHRIST (Citywide Homeless Relief Impact Service Team) in Anchorage. The grant’s purpose is to promote programs that will help alleviate the problems experienced by Americans struggling financially.
The grant is helping The Salvation Army provide to-go meals to families and individuals who live at or below the poverty level in Anchorage. The meals are being distributed from 1:30 – 4:30 PM every Friday from The Salvation Army Anchorage Corps Community Center at 1701 C Street in Anchorage. Volunteers gather at 11 AM the same day to prepare the bagged meals which included several snacks, a sandwich, dessert, and water. The first two Fridays of Operation CHRIST, 170 meals were distributed outside of the Anchorage Corps Community Center on The Salvation Army’s SAFE Campus in Anchorage.
“Hundreds of men, women, and children have been helped in recent years as a result of a major bequest to The Salvation Army, given by the estate of Thomas Lyle Williams, who believed that “The Salvation Army does more for the poor people of the world than any other organization, public or private,” reported the New Frontier Chronicle, a Salvation Army-owned publication.
The Salvation Army Anchorage Corps Officers, Majors Paul and Rachel Chouinard, along with the feeding team, will be heading into their third week of managing the program this Friday. “We are blessed to have the funding to provide a weekly meal to our neighbors in the most need. Although many of us have never experienced choosing between eating or paying a bill, it’s a very real issue for many families and individuals in the Anchorage area,” said Major Rachel. “We pray that our program will give some hope to those we are helping.”
To sign-up to volunteer with The Salvation Army, visit volunteer.usawest.org. The Salvation Army is currently in need of meal packing volunteers for the Older Alaskans Program in Anchorage.