• Tweet
• Share
• Email
• Print

Information from edited news release . . .

Springfield, MO (November 15, 2012) – The need in the Ozarks’ community is greater than ever before, which makes this year’s Tree of Lights Christmas Campaign more important than ever before.   

Each year during the campaign, The Salvation Army receives vital funds and donations from the community that allow The Salvation Army to provide much-needed programs and services to thousands of Ozarks residents all year long.

“We raise these funds because each day there are families and children who need our feeding programs and emergency food pantry. We raise these funds because each day our shelter and housing programs are almost always at capacity,” Major Norman Grainger, Ozark Area Coordinator, said. “We raise these funds because we need community support to help the thousands of Ozarks residents who turn to us because they have absolutely nowhere else to go.”

Due to continued economic uncertainty and the increased cost of living, more local residents are coming to The Salvation Army in need of help – many who have never needed or asked for help before.

“It’s one thing to try to consistently provide for those who traditionally need our assistance, but it’s quite another to try and then also provide for those who we’re not typically used to seeing or those who have never needed social service assistance before,” Grainger said.   

During tonight’s tree lighting ceremony, The Salvation Army will announce this year’s Tree of Lights fundraising goal. Last year, The Salvation Army did not reach its $1 million campaign goal and while part of the funding shortfall was made up later in the year certain assistance programs such as the Emergency Food Pantry had to be revised.

“We are fortunate in that the local Ozarks’ community has always supported us when we needed it most and we’re hopefully that that will be the case again this year,” Grainger said.