Medford, Ore.– It was a Christmas miracle for a local organization. After a flood destroyed many of its donations, The Salvation Army put out a call for help. Fortunately for them, that call was answered.
“Last night we had, even in the late night hours, lots of people showing up,” said Major Jason Koenig of The Salvation Army.
The flood was a sight no one wanted to see. Packaged toys meant to be distributed the next day to families in need, all flooded and ruined. This disaster sent The Salvation Army into overdrive.
“We have about 500 families coming in today,” said Koenig. “We made the commitment that we will provide for them and the community has ensured that that commitment will stay true.”
All through the night and into Thursday, community members and organizations did what they could to provide. CASA was among the organizations that helped. It received more than it needed this year and knew it had to pay it forward.
“When we read the story of The Salvation Army we said we need to help our community partner out as much as we can,” said Wenonoa Spavik, director of programs and education for CASA. “So we took over some of our excess donations this morning.”
The Salvation Army still had to dip into its kettle funds to buy replacements. Organizers say that may cause some problems later.
“When we look at the donations we receive at Christmas time, help us throughout the whole year,” said Koenig. “Having this extra expense, it is vital for getting more community support.”
Major Koenig says despite that setback he is blown away by the community’s support.
“It’s going pretty smooth at this point. Everyone has been understanding with our delays to get toys going and we’ve got a lot of happy families,” he said.
The Salvation Army says it is extremely grateful to all who helped out to make sure everyone has a Merry Christmas.
If you wish to donate to support The Salvation Army, the kettle stands will be out through Saturday.
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