Community Care Ministries

The Salvation Army Community Care Ministries are outreach programs that meet with people who might be lonely and not have many visitors. The main outreach is to local nursing homes. Salvation Army volunteers and other local groups visited 17 nursing homes for Easter and Christmas. Volunteers go room to room giving the residents a small gift and a Salvation Army magazine in addition to meeting with them if they would like a visitor. Over 1500 people were served last year through this program. Captain Angela Smith, The Salvation Army Associate Corps Officer, organizes the visits and said “It’s important that these dear folks know they are not forgotten especially at the holidays.”

In addition to going to nursing homes, The Salvation Army also has a prison ministry program. For 25 years, The Salvation Army has partnered with Epworth United Methodist to visit the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio and the Lucas County Corrections Center during the winter holiday season. At the correction centers, volunteers visit with the inmates and provide them with two holiday cards that they can send to their family members. The Salvation Army uses donated cards and provides postage. Last December The Salvation Army and Epworth United Methodist visited 1,000 inmates and mailed 1,300 cards. Beth Schwandt, The Salvation Army Operations Manager, organizes the prison ministry program and has many stories about how much the letters mean to the families that receive them.

If you are interested in helping with the nursing home program or have holiday cards to donate to the programs please contact The Salvation Army at 419-241-1138