This week’s guest speaker, Lieutenant Jared Arnold of the Salvation Army, spoke to us about the different kinds of outreach and ministry the Salvation Army is known for world-wide as well as in Washington County.
Arnold, an Arizona transplant with his wife Christina and their two children, works with the Hillsboro Salvation Army office. The local office is a ministry, providing church services, in addition to the food boxes, toys for the holidays, and holiday meal boxes for families in Washington County.
This year, the Washington County Salvation Army location that Arnold works at, is trying to access at least 500 more families this year that are in further out areas of the county.
Arnold reminded club members that they are, “Trying to feed the human need in the community.” Stating that the contact some recipients have with them might be the only contact they have all week.
As for how the Hillsboro Optimist Club can help out, their yearly ‘kettle’ drive will begin the day after Thanksgiving, and makes up a significant portion of their funding for the rest of the year. Arnold suggests making an Optimist Day at a kettle where volunteers switch on and off all day and help raise money for the organization. Club members Tony Montes and President Kathy Jungels both showed interest in making this happen and will be contacting the volunteer coordinator for the Salvation Army.
The ‘kettles’ are also a great way to give back directly to the community, with 98% of the funds used for social services, and only 2% being used for administrative costs.
Optimists can also donate kettles by visiting the Salvation Army website, or they can volunteer directly by dropping in at the Hillsboro location and speaking with Arnold about ways they can help.
