Thousands are still suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene’s tear along the east coast. The Salvation Army continues to meet the needs of individuals and families of the affected areas in several states. In the southern part of the U.S. alone, The Salvation Army has served more than 60,000 meals, snacks and drinks and handed out hundreds of clean-up kits.

From North Carolina to Massachusetts, here are the updates: (Continue Reading)

Where can I donate to Midwest Tornado Relief?

Right here. The details are below.

The Salvation Army Disaster Relief Teams are on the ground and responding in wake of the tornadoes and storms that have struck the Midwest United States. We’re responding in Joplin, Missouri, Reading, Kansas,  St. Louis Park, Minnesota and the surrounding areas providing meals for residents and relief workers, helping survivors locate their loved ones and providing spiritual and emotional support to those in need.

If you would like to make a donation and help those in need, you can do so by choosing one of the methods below.

100% of your donation will go to support disaster relief in those affected areas.

To support The Salvation Army’s relief efforts, you can donate:

• Online at www.salvationarmyusa.org
• Over the phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY
• Via text. Send “JOPLIN” to 80888 to make a $10 donation. Confirm when prompted with “yes.”
• Mail a check to:

The Salvation Army
3637 Broadway
Kansas City, MO 64111
Please designate the gift “Joplin Tornado.”

Want a more creative way to donate?  

Another way to support the relief efforts is by purchasing this t-shirt. Again, 100% of net proceeds will support relief efforts. You can purchase the t-shirt by clicking here:  Major Joe – Heartland Relief Shirt

CAN I DONATE SOMETHING BESIDES MONEY?

Many have asked about donating in-kind items, such as clothes, toys, or furniture. The Salvation Army is not accepting gifts in-kind, since there are not suitable facilities to store these items, and manpower to sort and transfer them are also limited. Monetary gifts are flexible and portable, and they allow our disaster teams to purchase the exact supplies they need, when they need them,  in the amounts they need.  Click here for more information on this topic.

The local  Salvation Army centers have not expressed a need for volunteers at this time, but you can register your name here in our disaster database should a need arise.

Thank you for your continuing support of these communities. As always, your prayers are appreciated!

WAYS TO HELP

• Donate online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or visit the page directly here. Designate your donation “April 2011 Tornado Outbreak.”
• Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY and designate “April 2011 Tornado Outbreak.”
• Text “GIVE” to 80888 to donate $10, and confirm with “Yes” when prompted by a follow-up text.
• Send checks to The Salvation Army Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 100339, Atlanta, GA 30384-0339. Please designate “April 2011 Tornado Outbreak.”

Those interested in aiding the relief effort are encouraged to give financial donations, which offer great flexibility and enable local disaster responders to purchase exactly what is needed as close to the disaster zone as possible.

There are four ways people can contribute money to The Salvation Army’s ‘Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis’ disaster relief efforts:

• TEXT the words “Japan” or “Quake” to 80888 to make a $10 donation
• By PHONE: 1-800-SAL-ARMY  — Designate gift for “Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis” (credit card or debit card)
• ON-LINE at: www.SalvationArmyUSA.org — designate gift for “Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis”
• By MAIL:  Send your check or money order, marked “Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis” to

The Salvation Army
PO Box 80066,
Prescott, AZ. 86304-8066

Did you just make a donation? Let us know which method you used and/or prefer! 

**At this time, The Salvation Army is not accepting in-kind donations from the general public for disaster relief operations in Japan. Keep in mind it will be extremely difficult and expensive to ship in-kind donations overseas from the United States to Japan. It is more efficient for disaster relief agencies to purchase needed resources locally and for immediate distribution with the disaster area. The best way for U.S. donors to help Japanese disaster survivors is to make a cash donation.

Please note that The Salvation Army continues to accept donations of used clothing, furniture and other items to support local programming. Please consider donating your used items to your local Salvation Army Thrift Store. Please call 1-800-SA-TRUCK | (1-800-728-7825)

The Salvation Army is responding in Japan and our Golden State Division has put together a resource page of the latest news  and resources available relief efforts in Japan relating to the earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Immediately following the earthquake and tsunami an assessment team was sent from Tokyo to Sendai (the city nearest the center of the earthquake). It took the team 20 hours to travel a journey that usually is accomplished in six hours.

Road and rail systems have been severely affected. There is a shortage of gasoline, with many gas stations closed and lines up to three kilometers long at stations that are open.

The disaster has affected a 2,000 kilometer north-south stretch of Japan. Official reports now state that more than 10,000 people are dead or missing.

You can read the full update here and find out about local response in Santa Cruz County.  Below are some additional resources:

How the public can help: Currently, those interested in aiding the relief effort are encouraged to give financial donations, which offer great flexibility and enable local disaster responders to purchase exactly what is needed as close to the disaster zone as possible.

There are four ways people can contribute money to The Salvation Army’s ‘Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis’ disaster relief efforts:

• TEXT the words “Japan” or “Quake” to 80888 to make a $10 donation
• By PHONE: 1-800-SAL-ARMY  — Designate gift for “Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis” (credit card or debit card)
• ON-LINE at: www.SalvationArmyUSA.org — designate gift for “Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis”
• By MAIL:  Send your check or money order, marked “Japan Earthquake / Tsunamis” to

The Salvation Army
PO Box 80066,
Prescott, AZ. 86304-8066

At this time, The Salvation Army is not accepting in-kind donations from the general public for disaster relief operations in Japan. Keep in mind it will be extremely difficult and expensive to ship in-kind donations overseas from the United States to Japan. It is more efficient for disaster relief agencies to purchase needed resources locally and for immediate distribution with the disaster area. The best way for U.S. donors to help Japanese disaster survivors is to make a cash donation.

Please note that The Salvation Army continues to accept donations of used clothing, furniture and other items to support local programming. Please consider donating your used items to your local Salvation Army Thrift Store. Please call 1-800-SA-TRUCK | (1-800-728-7825).

Helpful Resources and Web Links:

• Person Finder:  2011 Japan Earthquake
• Salvation Army Japan Territory
• Salvation Army International Headquarters
• About The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services program
• Tsunami Response News Update: March 11, 2011
• KGO-AM Interview with Ken Cavallero: March 14, 2011

Update from Salvation Army International Headquarters & Japan Territory:

(March 11, 2011) The Salvation Army in Japan is responding to the earthquake and tsunami that brought devastation to the north side of the country. Communication and travel have been badly hit by the disaster, and at the moment the true cost in human life and property can only be guessed.

The most damaged city is Sendai, about 400 kilometers away from Tokyo. Commissioner Makoto Yoshida, leader of The Salvation Army’s Japan Territory, was at territorial headquarters in Tokyo and reports:

“Our building swayed tremendously,” said Commissioner Yoshida. “It was hard for us to keep standing and many of us were really frightened.”

The Salvation Army, a leader in international emergency disaster services, is responding immediately.

“We are sending a team to Sendai tonight [March 11, JST] and tomorrow we will start providing the basic necessities as well as assessing the level of damage so we can decide what else we can do,” said Yoshida.

Public transport in Tokyo stopped because of the earthquake, leaving many commuters unable to leave work.

“We opened our hall on the ground floor of territorial headquarters to those who could not go home,” said Yoshida. “We served them with hot drinks and packed meals.”

General Shaw Clifton, the international leader of The Salvation Army, has already been in touch with the commissioner to assure him of the prayers and support of Salvationists around the world.

Quick Facts about The Salvation Army’s work in Japan:

• First arrived and started operations within Japan in 1895
• Operates over 80 different facilities across Japan, including hospitals, children’s homes and nurseries, shelters, rehabilitation centers, senior housing and care centers, in addition to over 45 corps community centers.
• The Salvation Army has nearly 1,000 employees and over 150 officers working throughout Japan.

New Zealand Earthquake Relief Efforts

The Salvation Army New Zealand has launched a Canterbury Earthquake Appeal in order to swiftly respond to the area’s humanitarian need. If you’d like to support The Salvation Army’s relief efforts, click HERE to donate.

From our National blog:

The Salvation Army in New Zealand is responding after the city of Christchurch was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake today – the second in less than 6 months. At least 65 people are known to have been killed and hundreds are trapped in the debris.

By late afternoon The Salvation Army was assisting more than 1,000 people. Locals are  being temporarily housed in large marquees that were already on site for a flower show.

Continue reading at The Salvation Army USA Blog.

You can also watch an interview with Spokane, WA Salvation Officer and New Zealand native, Captain Kyle Smith.
Salvation Army Officer Brought To Tears By Devastation In Native New Zealand

The Salvation Army is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Earl by providing evacuee shelters. Read more about the efforts on our National blog: http://blog.salvationarmyeds.org/?s=hurricane+earl+carolina&x=0&y=0

Here is a recap of the work The Salvation Army has been doing since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast five years ago this month.

Hurricane Katrina: Five Years On