News : Salvation Army Appreciates Our Giving Communities

See caption below: VS-FFA

Belle Plaine became a new site for Salvation Army ringing- (l-r) Rilyn Brandt and Brenten Brandt offer their enthusiasm to the cause.

Volunteers Lauren Ehlen and Morgan Goslin ring at the Lincoln Cafe in Belle Plaine

We are grateful for the willingness of the people in this county to support our local Salvation Army Service Extension Unit. We met our goal by raising over $20,000. We usually have some donations that don't get to us until the first week in January. So our grand total, as of today, is $20,869.46

We had a new development this year. We added a site in Belle Plaine. Deputy Sheriff Tyler Brandt organized some folks, especially from their Lions Club as well as some youth to ring. They set up at the Lincoln Cafe and local Casey's. In just 12-16 hours of ringing they received donations of $1,004. Thank you Belle Plaine !! Great job Tyler and volunteers !

Around 236 volunteers rang the bell for 293 hours. That includes Belle Plaine's numbers.

As is always reported, 90% of this money stays in Benton County. It is used to assist folks in time of urgent need for things like rent, utilities, gasoline, repairs, etc.

It is a great blessing that our local Lion's Club, Kiwanis, and Knights of Columbus take a full day to ring. The also true for area churches that take a full day(s) to ring- Wesley United Methodist, Blessed Hope and Bethlehem Lutheran. The Youth Group of Vinton Presbyterian takes several evenings to ring with enthusiasm!

As usual, ARC, REM and North Star sent their groups to ring as part of this community despite the cold weather at times. There was a group from VS-FFA and two groups from LeRoy Luckies 4H that rang for us. Johnson Realty, Eden Mutual and Farmers Savings Bank both rang for the better part of a day.

Greg Walston, aka Santa, greeted the little ones. The ladies from Farm Bureau again dressed up and showed some festive choreography

There is much appreciation to Fareway Inc. and Manager Dave Kelchen for letting us set up to ring at the their storefront. The Fareway employees always ring on Dec 24th That is a big help as that is a hard day to fill otherwise. Thank you Fareway !

Salvation Army- Doing The Most Good

In 2024, we assisted around 100 different families, including 132 adults and 124 children. A significant part of this assistance includes making referrals when possible.

Salvation Army works with Social Services, General Assistance, food banks, Rural Access HUB, HACAP, Catholic Charities, Vinton Area Ministerial Assoc., Lutheran Services of Iowa, Stork's Nest, Waypoint Shelters, Domestic Violence Programs and local law enforcement. We all have the same mission to help clients find the most help to start moving forward in life.

We remind folks to consider our own Kirkwood Community satellite campus in Vinton when searching ways to better their livelihood. They can help with completing the HiSet, formerly the GED, for those who need it.

Giving Can Be Year Round !

If you want to mail in your donation, send it to:

Salvation Army, Benton County Service Extension, 1201 C. Ave, Vinton, IA 52349. (We are a 501c(3)).

---

Caption: VS-FFA members Izzy Birker and Cooper McClintock delivered 54 zip-lock bags of comfort items to Benton County Salvation Army. The Chapter members and their families donated the items that will be handed out over the next few weeks with the canteen run to homeless individuals in Cedar Rapids.