Development program donates thousands

CENTRAL GLENDALE — Salvation Army Glendale, which has had to grapple with a precipitous increase in demand for services over the past two years, got some support of its own Wednesday after a group of community leaders donated thousands of food items and about $7,000.

Since 2007, Salvation Army Glendale has seen a 200% increase in the number of people seeking help, Capt. Rio Ray said. At the same time, donations to the center have slumped with the battered economy, creating a crunch for resources, he added. So Leadership Glendale’s donation of about $7,000 and about 5,000 non-perishable food items will go a long way, he said.

“It’s amazing because we don’t have big fundraisers like this where we get big amounts of money,” he said.

Participants in Leadership Glendale — an eight-month Glendale Chamber of Commerce program focusing on community development — organized the effort to collect and offer the donations to the Salvation Army in response to its current challenges.

A group of 21 businesspeople, city employees and nonprofit workers participated in this year’s Leadership Glendale course, which takes up a different cause each year, said Judee Kendall, the chamber’s executive director.

The group previously raised $23,000 to help the Glendale Police Department establish a K-9 unit, and collected more than $17,000 to fund an educational vehicle for the Glendale Fire Department, Kendall said.

Wednesday’s donation was especially timely, she said.

“Because of the economy, there’s more of a need for that food bank now,” she said of the Salvation Army.

About 70% of the nonprofit’s annual $1.1-million budget comes from private donors. In turn, that money supports more than 1,000 monthly food pantry visitors, 900 monthly Meals on Wheels deliveries, housing for 19 families in need, and a weekday after-school tutoring program for up to 45 students, Ray said.

While cash donations have sagged during the recession, Leadership Glendale’s $7,000 contribution will play a major role in improving “The Zone” after-school program, he said.

Ray planned to use the money to cover the after-school program’s supplies and field trips, and to upgrade some of the 20 laptops used during tutoring, he said.

Leadership Glendale participants said they decided to direct their efforts to support the Salvation Army because it was the most direct approach to helping those who have been hit hardest by the economy, particularly students who lose the time and attention of parents struggling to make ends meet.

Food donations were a key part of that, because many families can’t afford to make regular food purchases, said Annette Vartanian Jackson, one of the project organizers.

“We can’t be a strong community if there’s families living in Glendale where they don’t know where their next meal is going to come from,” she said.

 ZAIN SHAUK covers education. He may be reached at (818) 637-3238 or by e-mail at zain.shauk@latimes.com.