Salvation Army in need of donations as deadline approaches

Medford, Ore.- Their mission is helping others, but they can’t do it without the community’s help. Now, the Salvation Army needs it more than ever.

“We’re putting out the plea right now that we’ve hit an emergency,” Major Jason Koenig said. “We need more community support even more so tonight.”

That’s because the day before distribution volunteers came in to find the toy warehouse flooded.

“You look at a lot of the toys that were in cardboard boxes and they’re completely destroyed, a majority of the clothing were destroyed,” he said.

Although the organization has hit a bump in the road, it is still planning on making sure 500 families get the Christmas they deserve.

“We’ve seen a lot of the blessings of the volunteers and donors and those who are going to make certain that we are ready for tomorrow to give out,” Major Koenig said.

Unfortunately making up for the loss means the group will have to dip into its kettle bell funds.

“Now with knowing we are going to have to go out and buy toys, before today we weren’t in a position where we’re going to have to spend a lot of money to buy toys because the community had donated a lot to us,” he said. “We are prepared tonight to spend thousands of dollars to be able to replace what was lost.”

But Major Koenig says they’re not losing hope.

“Challenges happen, we work through those challenges,” he said. “You take lemons and you make lemonade with it. We might be tired and fatigued tomorrow but we will be ready to help the families that we have committed to.”

If you’d like to donate a toy before distribution day on Thursday, you can head over to 801 Riverside Avenue in Medford. The Salvation Army will also accept monetary donations at any of their kettle bell locations until Saturday. Those donations are what help fund other programs throughout the year.