Salvation Army

GLENDALE — Salvation Army’s last-minute decision to introduce credit card machines at its iconic red kettle stations this season got a lukewarm response from the public, but plans to expand the program will continue, officials said. Glendale was one of only seven cities in the Southland to participate in the three-week trial after the Salvation Army Southern California Division took notice of the early success a corps in Colorado Springs was having with a similar program.

SOROPTIMISTS JOIN EFFORT IN COLLECTING BLANKETS Soroptimist International of Glendale this fall collected about 40 coats and blankets to be given to the homeless this Thanksgiving. The coats were given to volunteer Joseph DiMaggio to distribute. Each November, DiMaggio collects coats and blankets from various friends and organizations, and then passes them out to the homeless, especially in downtown Los Angeles. Soroptimist members and several other Glendale volunteer organizations contributed the coats and blankets to the campaign, called SIG Has You Covered.

A case of salvation in Glendale What an amazing community Glendale is. The Salvation Army has been helping families in this city for more than 80 years. Three weeks ago, we were considering the consequences of closing our food pantry. We could count the number of bags of food left. We put out the word in Glendale and have been amazed and encouraged by the response. We were blessed by the Boy Scouts Verdugo Hills Council and the Kiwanis Club as recipients of their major food drives.

Martin Spalding is used to sleeping on the streets and scrounging enough cash for a meal, so the army of volunteers that was waiting on him during a Thanksgiving meal Thursday was unusual, he said. “It seems like there’s almost more volunteers then there are people to eat,” said Spalding, 51, who was frequently interrupted by volunteers asking if he wanted more fruit punch, pie or a new plate of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. “It’s good for us. When people want to keep bringing you stuff, that’s a good thing.

DOWNTOWN — Food supplies at the Salvation Army Glendale hit a low in the beginning of November, leading officials to consider not continuing their emergency food pantry for low-income clients. But officials are hoping recent donations and the Glendale Kiwanis Club Food Drive on Friday will help them feed needy clients. “We will for sure be able to get through the holidays,” said Rick White, the organization’s director of social services. A large donation from the Verdugo Hills Council, a Boy Scouts of America group, has allowed the food pantry to stay afloat for the next couple of months, he said.

Ding dong! Ding dong! No, it’s not Avon calling, it’s the merry little tinkling you’ll soon be hearing outside local grocery stores and retail outlets as The Salvation Army’s Christmas kettle season begins and workers ring out the need to help others during the struggling economic situation this holiday season. Funds raised in The Salvation Army’s Christmas kettles are used to provide holiday meals and toys to area families and individuals in need, as well as to help out as needed during the year.

Crescenta Valley High School senior Matthew Hanzel is ready for college; he is taking the right classes, participates in extracurricular activities, and has long completed the recommended 100 hours of community service. Instead of luxuriating in the free afternoons that are typical of senior year, however, Hanzel dedicates two days out of the week to tutor at-risk children as part of the Salvation Army Glendale Corp’s Zone after-school program. “Once you start ... why stop?

GLENDALE — With the ailing economy driving increased demand for food assistance, the local Salvation Army says it faces an urgent need for volunteers to help with its holiday-season collection drive. “We have more people and fewer donations in the food banks than we’ve had in the past,” said Rick White, director of social services at the Salvation Army in Glendale. The organization, which provides a range of social services for people in need, had an extreme shortage of volunteer bell-ringers last year, with only 10% of its fundraising coming from its trademark red kettles, White said.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The county board of supervisors Tuesday approved $675,000 for two long-delayed Glendale projects. Acting on a request from Supervisor Michael Antonovich, whose district includes Glendale, the board voted to approve $425,000 for a seismic retrofit of the historic Le Mesnager Barn in Deukmejian Wilderness Park, and $250,000 for a Salvation Army transitional housing project. Rising construction costs have made closing the funding gaps for both projects difficult, delaying plans by several years, city officials said.

CENTRAL GLENDALE — A four-unit permanent transitional housing project will likely shore up the necessary funds to start construction, four years after the Salvation Army proposal was first approved. Known as the Chester Street Project, the four-unit rental complex would be built on the 600 block of the avenue next to the Salvation Army’s Nancy Painter House, a family-oriented transitional housing project also owned and operated by the nonprofit. Despite gaining approval from the city in 2004, the project has taken until now to approach the end of its fundraising cycle, which has been drawn out as expenses over time have increased.