Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Raises $42,000 for Homeless Shelter

(STUART, FL, FEBRUARY 12, 2021) – The Salvation Army’s Women Auxiliary hails the success of its inaugural fundraiser—Eat, Drink & Be Giving. Last fall, the auxiliary hosted a casual, socially distanced gathering at The Dolphin Bar Shrimp House in Jensen Beach to benefit its homeless shelter, Compassion House. Through the generosity of sponsors, donations, ticket sales, and proceeds from the silent auction, Eat, Drink, & Be Giving raised $42,000.

Compassion House is the Army’s transitional homeless shelter for women and women with children. It provides far more than safety, clothing, and food. While living at Compassion House, each woman receives one-on-one counseling and the tools necessary to become self-sufficient. Kim Tolbert, Program Manager, helps residents secure employment and housing and provides resources needed for residents to be resilient in the event of a financial crisis in the future. To date, Compassion House has sheltered more than 600 local women and children, with very few “graduates” reverting to homelessness. The pandemic has brought on unique challenges for Compassion House and could have easily halted operations. Kim Tolbert explains, “Thanks to the Women’s Auxiliary, we can focus on our residents and their needs while doing what we can to curb the cyclical nature of homelessness.”

Eat, Drink & Be Giving marks another massive success for the Women’s Auxiliary. The silent auction alone yielded $7,000 in proceeds in part due to the overwhelming support of local businesses donating merchandise, gift certificates, and more. The event would not have been possible without the support of its sponsors; Jack and Char Meyering, the Edward P. and Juanita J. Henson Foundation, Robert and Carol Weissman, Seacoast Bank, Agler Kitchen, Bath & Floors, Airstron Air Conditioning, Crary Buchanan, Attorneys at Law, Lori Baird, Raymond and Ginny Bargull, Muriel Franz, Phyllis Kordick, Wayne and Carolyn Magdalena, the Osleber Family, and Ted and Pat Tiemeyer.

(STUART, February 4, 2021) – Publix Super Markets Charities recently donated $15,000.00 to support The Salvation Army’s Compassion House, its transitional homeless shelter for women and women with children. Since opening in 2012 in Stuart, more than 600 women and children have lived at the shelter with an ever-growing waitlist.

The Compassion House facility has eight bedrooms, each with a private bathroom, as well as a children’s playground and playroom, laundry room, computer workspace, and dining area. While living at Compassion House, each resident receives shelter, meals, and clothing. The women meet regularly for one-on-one counseling and receive access to resources designed to develop the skills needed to become self-sufficient. Additionally, the program is free, allowing residents to focus on achieving financial independence by not being burdened by bills. The goal is not only to help the women find and maintain stable employment and housing but also to help them become more resilient should they face a financial crisis in the future. The program boasts a high success rate as very few of its “graduates” fall back into homelessness.

Captain Sheena Marquis, local corps officer, expressed gratitude for Publix Super Markets Charities’ ongoing partnership, saying, “Because of their generosity, we can continue providing shelter to women and children who are transitioning out of homelessness. We look forward to serving many more families because of this grant, offering not only a safe place to stay and seek opportunity but hope where there was only despair.”

As I sift through the chaos and hardships brought on by 2020, I find myself in awe of the resolve and support of our community.

The holiday season is a time of joy and happiness. But for many in our community, the holidays bring enormous pressure to struggling families. COVID-19 resulted in many of our neighbors experiencing these pressures for the first time. The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign and Angel Tree program sought to rescue Christmas for these families.

We began the holiday season by serving over 500 Thanksgiving meals to area residents on Thanksgiving Day, an enormous feat made possible by the many volunteers who gave up their holiday for others. The very next day, our Red Kettle Campaign. Due to a 50% drop in bell ringers, we adjusted our ringing days from 33 days in 2019 to 12 days in 2020. With fewer days, kettles, and foot traffic, we knew it would be an uphill battle. Fortunately, volunteer bell ringers found creative ways to engage donors without compromising safety restrictions; and donors found it in their hearts to give back. Even with these challenges, we raised 80% of our 2019 total despite only ringing 33% of the days. The 2020 Red Kettle Campaign raised more than $200,000.00 across Martin and St. Lucie Counties.

This year, the Angel Tree program had the challenge of making sure that 1,222 children experienced the joy of opening gifts on Christmas morning. This is only made possible by the generosity of our area sponsors and donors. In addition to toys, each family registered (521 families) received hygiene kits, laundry detergent and dish soap, diapers (if applicable), and two week’s worth of groceries.

On behalf of The Salvation Army and neighbors who seek support, thank you for rescuing Christmas.

God Bless.
Captain Sheena and Captain Jeff Marquis