Fort Lauderdale

Food Pantry

If your group is interested in holding a food drive to benefit the pantry call 954-524-6991.

The Salvation Army’s food pantry supplies groceries to those in need each week. Much of the food in the pantry is collected and donated by local groups, schools, and businesses. The pantry is open on Thursday mornings.

A significant portion of food distributed is supplied by the USDA. In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture, The Salvation Army is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave. S W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800)795-3272 (voice) or (202)720-6382 (TYY).

The Salvation Army and the USDA are equal opportunity providers and employers.

Emergency Assistance

Homelessness has a very high cost, both in terms of money and the emotional trauma and upheaval suffered by those who are affected. By helping people in crisis to remain in their own homes and feed their families on a temporary basis until they can stabilize their situation, The Salvation Army works to minimize the problems by providing emergency funds for rent or mortgage assistance on a one time basis.

When funding is available, Rent and/or Mortgage assistance is provided to any resident of Broward County.  Applicants must call the main line at 954-524-6991 and put their name on a list.  A case manager calls the applicant within 72 hrs. to do a preliminary screening on the phone.  If the applicant appears to qualify, they will be given an appointment and a list of documentation they must bring to the appointment.  All documentation must be verified prior to approval of their application.

The Center for Worship and Service in Fort Lauderdale offers the opportunity for people of all ages to participate in worship, service, youth programs and other community activities each week.

Salvation Army centers of worship are called “corps.”  We invite you to worship with us every Sunday at 11:00 am.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church.  Its message is based on the Bible.  Its ministry is motivated by the love of God.  Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Please call 954 524-6991 and ask to speak to one of our Ministry Staff to learn more about our Worship Services and programs.

The New Beginnings Program was established to offer a safe, stable environment for expectant mothers who are homeless.
The women in the program have become homeless for many reasons, including poverty, unexpected pregnancy complications that cause them to lose employment, and domestic abuse. Each family in the program receives a private room with bath, meals, day care for older children, case management, life skills training, job and medical referrals, as well as educational classes.
The goal of this structured program is to increase the self-worth of each mother and motivate them to work towards independence for themselves and their family.
If you would like to support our mothers-to-be, please consider donating a “Baby Shower Basket.” Suggested items include diapers, wipes, lotions, clothes, bottles, etc.
For more info, please contact Niecy Choice, Program Manager.

Discover how to get ahead by building economic stability!

Offered by:

The Salvation Army

Online through ZOOM Video Conferencing

Getting Ahead in a  Just-Gettin'-By World

A series of 16 weekly groups will begin on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. Groups will be held from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Bus Passes, Gas Cards and other incentives will be provided for completed sessions.

Call to see if you qualify for the program (954) 712-2453 and ask for Jaid or Email: Jaid.Jones@uss.salvationarmy.org by Friday, July 31, 2020.

Economic Stability Programs

The Salvation Army’s Economic Stability Program, for families is an essential component of the work that we do here at the Salvation Army.
The Program provides families with the financial information and tools they need to make informed decisions. Financial education, combined with case management, resources, support groups and guidance assist families taking their first steps out of poverty.

Services Provided:

• Groups: Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World, is an 18 to 20-week program for individuals and families living in generational poverty, generational poverty, or in unstable situations, build and develop the necessary resources needed for stability. The program does not “teach” its participants in a typical lecturing style class. Instead, Getting Ahead participants navigate weekly groups where they discover their own reality by identifying an area or areas in their life that they are looking to change. Participants become problem solvers for themselves, and for their community. The program requires diligent work, and motivation! Success comes through the application towards the development of a future story!
• The Bridges training: provides case studies, videos, mental models, helpful charts and exercises, and specific solutions that agencies, schools, hospitals, and other organizations and service providers may implement.
• Staying Ahead provides graduates with the necessary resources needed to accomplish their goals. Community Resource Partners (CRPs) meet with graduates once a month, providing education within their area of expertise, hands on tools that enable each individual to realize their goals, and provides mentoring opportunities that brings forth encouragement and sustainability. Staying Ahead provides resources in housing, health & fitness, financial management, entrepreneurship, employment, grants & small business loans and more!
• Pathways of Hope: Provides targeted services to families with desire to take action to break the cycle of crisis and enable a path out of intergenerational poverty. It is rooted in a case management approach, focusing on client needs through a strength base lens.

VITA (Voluntary Income Tax Assistance) Partner: The VITA program offers free tax help to people who generally make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

For further information, please contact Jaid Jones, Programs Manager.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, young boys and girls. I will like to start off by extending a special thanks to everyone that made this possible. A special thanks to Philip Devol the author of the Getting Ahead text. The Salvation Army and all its partners. Our great facilitators Lilly and Ana. My wonderful team whom I had the pleasure of seeing for the past 17 Thursdays and all the supporting family members who are here tonight sharing in this joyous occasion.

I am not going to be before your front long. I just want to share what Getting Ahead has done for me. First, it gave me a reason to get out the house every Thursday. Not to mention the gas cards I was provided with every Thursday. Most important, Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting-By-World has given me knowledge about the resources I can use to not only get out of poverty but maintain stability. We can do something about poverty by building individual, institutional and community resources. Poverty is a mindset. Ben Carson said it best, “low income persons with strong motivation can escape poverty, while those with negative attitudes remain poor”.

Let’s be positive! Let’s take what we have learned and apply it to our everyday life.

Thank you!

Kizzy Thomas

Kitchen
Volunteers help to prepare and serve meals to individuals and families living in our shelter, along with other kitchen tasks. Currently there is a great need volunteers Monday – Friday with an availability that is between 8:00am – 12:00pm. There are also volunteers needed between 3pm-7pm as each day we have community feeding, which provides meals to anyone in the community beginning at 4PM.

Food Pantry
Volunteers stock, sort, bag, and distribute non-perishable and perishable items for county residents in need of assistance. We currently need volunteers to help in the food pantry Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00AM – 12:30PM.

Disaster Relief
Volunteers are needed to assist the public during times of disaster, both locally and regionally. Advance training is required. For the next available training session, please contact William Bauguess at Jasper.O’Neal@uss.salvationarmy.org. To learn more about our disaster services, please click here.

Child Care Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to help teach children living in our shelter various activities while their parents are attending life skill classes. Classes are scheduled on weekday evenings in Fort Lauderdale. All child care volunteers must be 18 or older and successfully pass a background check along with fingerprints.

Life Skills Classes
Volunteers teach life skills to clients in evening classes ranging from computer skills to knitting. This is a great opportunity to use your talents to help others. Creativity is highly encouraged, so if you have an idea for a class, please let us know! With the opening of our apartment facilities at Plymouth Colony, we are especially interested in finding instructors for classes in nutrition and general homemaking skills.

Maintenance Workers
Volunteers assist our maintenance staff in general upkeep of our facilities. Hours are anytime Monday-Friday.

Product Drive Coordinators
Volunteers coordinate various product drives through their school, church, or neighborhood to be donated to our shelter. Examples of drives include food, toiletries, and baby care items. All items collected and donated will go to the thousands of individuals and families we help right here in Broward County.

Fundraising
Volunteers work with the Development Director to generate ideas, plan and manage special fundraising events throughout the year. This opportunity requires a strong familiarity with the community and its resources, as well as a continuous time commitment. If you are interested in this opportunity contact Alyse Gossman directly at Alyse.Gossman@uss.salvationarmy.org.

Please note: All volunteers working directly with children will be subject to a background check.

Application Process

To apply to become a volunteer, please save the Volunteer Application to your computer, complete all fillable entries, and email the application to Jasper O'neal Jasper.O’Neal@uss.salvationarmy.org.

(You may also fill out an application at our Administrative Offices – 1445 W. Broward Blvd. | Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312)

The Volunteer Coordinator will review your application. If you meet the basic requirements, she will contact you to set up an interview.

If you have any additional questions regarding our volunteer program, or need additional information,
please contact Jasper at 954-712-2435

The Loaves and Fishes program is a great opportunity to directly help homeless people through support of our efforts to provide daily community meals.

Groups of up to 8 people from corporations, schools, churches and civic organizations are invited to sponsor a dinner or weekend brunch and help prepare, cook, and serve their meal under the leadership of our food services staff.

Sponsorship costs are as follows:

Dinner, Friday - Wednesday $500
Weekend Brunch $250

"Helping with the Angel Tree Program always gets me in the holiday spirit."- Sandy, volunteer

Mall Angel Tree Program

Volunteers staff Angel Trees at various malls to aid the public in "adopting" angels and collecting gifts. This project requires a large number of volunteers and is perfect for high school students wishing to fulfill their community service requirements as well as retirees and church organizations.

Corporate Angel Tree Program

Each year, over 100 local organizations participate in the Angel tree program by setting up trees for their employees, members, and students. Many of those corporate employees also volunteer time to help with the toy sorting and distribution process.

We hope you will consider joining us this year. It’s simple-- just determine how many of your employees would like to purchase a gift for a child and we will do the rest. The “angels” are real children with real needs who live in our community. The Salvation Army works with several other agencies in our community to identify and qualify those families who need our help most. We ask that you spend between $25 and $30 per child, as this may be the only gift the child receives.

If your organization decides to participate in the angel tree program, you will receive angel tags for your tree, packaging and instructions. You can display the tags on a Christmas tree, bulletin board or any visible area, or simply distribute the tags to each participant. Participants fulfill the request on the tag, and bring the item unwrapped to your collection site with the tag attached. The Salvation Army arranges to pick up the group’s gifts and distributes them to families in need before Christmas.

The "Angels" will be available for pick-up the beginning of November, and all gifts must be returned by December 13th AT THE VERY LATEST to allow the volunteers and staff time to process the thousands of presents in time for our Toy Shop distribution which takes place on Friday December 21 this year. The Salvation Army will again provide all the necessary information: the angel ornament with the child's name, age, clothing size, and the special request of that child as well as the bags used for packing and transporting the toys.

Toy Shop

Volunteers sort and package toys for each Angel and aid in distribution of toys to families. This position requires a lot of mobility and some lifting, but in exchange for all of that sweat, you get to feel like you work at the North Pole.

QUESTIONS?

Alyse Gossman, Director of Development
The Salvation Army
1445 W Broward Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

954-712-2431. or Alyse.Gossman@uss.salvationarmy.org

If you and your co-workers would like to volunteer during our toy shop to help sort, organize and distribute the toys, please contact Desiree Saunders at 954-712-2435. or Desiree.Saunders@uss.salvationarmy.org

For many of the residents introduced to our transitional housing and shelter, receiving basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing is a priority concern. Once these initial needs are met, we begin to explore ways in which to further bring hope, confidence, and happiness back in to their lives.

We rely on the generosity of our community members to help brighten up the lives of our residents in a variety of ways. Here are a few examples:

Rewarding Progress

Gift cards for $10 – $25 to Publix, Winn Dixie, WalMart or Target. These are used to reward the “Client of the Month.”

Baby Shower Basket

For expectant mothers, the inevitable life-changing event can be overwhelming. Receiving donated pregnancy and baby items can help alleviate some of the worry. Suggestions include a baby blanket, diapers and wipes, clothing, bottles, etc.

House Warming

For clients who are moving into an apartment or home, procuring the necessary items can be a daunting task. We forget, most who are homeless have little to no possessions. Receiving a head-start to a stable, independent residence eases the transition from homeless to a home. Suggestions include pots & pans, plates, bowls, & utensils, towels, sheets, etc.

Blessing Bags

An example of Blessing Bags

Each night 45 individuals who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets of Ft. Lauderdale come to our Open Door shelter. Zip lock bags containing small toiletry items – soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, comb, and snacks (raisins, small cans of juice, granola bars, trail mix) would be a welcomed gift.