The economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic left a lot of people in need of help — including those who help others.
McComb Salvation Army director Brenda Kates told the McComb Exchange Club on Thursday that the organization that gives help with food, shelter and utilities had hard times of its own throughout the pandemic but managed to fulfill its mission.
“We have assisted over 4,000 people. It’s food boxes, utility assistance and lodging, and the number is going up daily,” she said.
All of that was down amid a sharp downturn in fundraising, including the annual Red Kettle campaign, which accounts for much of the organization’s revenue.
“We didn’t do our annual shrimp boil. Our Angel Tree donations were down,” Kates said.
She said the Red Kettle campaign was down by about 75%, “which really, really affected our fundraising activities. It is our biggest fundraiser.”
Then there was the toll on the staff.
“We suffered layoffs and our operations shut down for weeks,” Kates said. “We were able to bring our employees back to work, although our doors were not open to the public. We had a little cushion in the bank to be able to do that.”
Kates said despite the layoffs last year, she now has some job vacancies, and like other places of work, she’s having a hard time filling them.
Other Salvation Army services centers didn’t fare as well, she said, and she’s grateful to have been able to continue to provide help.
“I’m still grateful because we’re still able to provide a service, we’re still able to keep our employees on staff and getting paid and we’re still here,” she said.
Kates said the local office that serves nine counties and three Louisiana parishes is still operating on a modified schedule, and once-mandatory in-office visits to apply for aid are now done over the phone.
“We were getting about 20 calls a day requesting assistance because the landlords had threatened to give we eviction notices, their lights were about to be turned off,” Kates said. “We have to figure out a way. How can we keep our doors open and follow the guidelines of the CDC?”
The Salvation Army offers short-term assistance to help pay rent and mortgages, utilities food and other needs for those who qualify.
“It’s not based on income, it’s based on emergency,” Kates said, adding that applicants have to present documentation “to make sure the emergency is an emergency.
“They still have to qualify. They can’t just come in and say, ‘My lights are fixing to get turned off. I need some help.’”
The Salvation Army generally doesn’t offer medical assistance, “but we do pay for prescription meds as long as it’s life-sustaining medicine,” such as blood pressure medication or insulin, Kates said.
Asked if people try to take advantage of the organization, Kates said the staff has a vigorous application process to determine need, and the rare instances of would-be swindlers are bluntly rejected.
“They’re not going to get away with it, they’re just not,” she said, emphasizing that the people who get help from the Salvation Army are experiencing their darkest days with no income, no help and little hope.
Seeing the suffering of others seems like a grim job, but Kates’ day is brightened by the help she is able to give.
Partnering with Centenary United Methodist Church, the Salvation Army provided Thanksgiving dinners to more than 300 families.
Another case, in which Kates said she managed to help two families at once, warms her heart as well.
“We had this family to come in, a husband and wife. They both got COVID, they both lost their jobs,” she said. “Their landlord didn’t evict them, even though they were three or four months behind.
“The landlord went into debt. He was getting ready to take out a loan to pay his mortgage so he can get his mortgage caught up. I asked him if he would waive one month of the back rent, and he said that wouldn’t be a problem, and I would pay the rest. When I paid him his rent, he didn’t have to take out the loan.”
