Staten Island Salvation Army’s Lt. Esther Provides Update On Community Needs, Program Successes
Staten Islanders may remember our previous conversations with Lt. Esther, including during this past holiday season’s Angel Tree drive, or when they had just introduced their new sit down meal program where everyone is welcome to have a hot home cooked meal made by their amazing chef at Stapleton Corps.
This time we discussed some updates about their programs, including the two mentioned above. We talked about what unhoused individuals need most – socks, gloves, undershirts, hats, and warm coats during winter. We talked about how the community has been coming together to make it possible for the Salvation Army to continue to help the most vulnerable among us – including kids and elderly residents.
The new Harvest of Hope Food Pantry they recently opened has been giving residents real hope, plus a feeling of dignity that even though they’re going to a food pantry and not a grocery store, they share in the choice that a regular shopper would have. They can choose the best meals for their own particular family’s needs, including if they follow special dietary restrictions.
This allows parents to buy food to make lunch for their children to bring to school. This goes a long way to helping parents and their kids feel good about themselves. It can be hard when one is struggling to put food on the table. And on the theme of school: many kids will need school supplies as the fall season approaches, and this is also something the Salvation Army helps them with.
Harvest of Hope grand opening. Image Credit – Salvation Army GNY
A very pressing need: Volunteers
Important note to SNAP recipients subject to work requirements: Volunteer hours count now! They did not fulfill the work requirements until the passage of the OBBBA. So if you’re a SNAP family looking for a way to meet these new regulations, volunteering at this or another 501(c)3 charity will count toward the 20 hours a week needed.
Teachers and Educators Needed For Tutoring Local School Children
One of the volunteer needs they’ve been having lately is for teachers, tutors, and educators. Teachers who want to tutor kids for a couple of hours every Wednesday to help them improve in their schoolwork.
Most kids can benefit from tutoring. However, not everyone can afford to hire a tutor. This program allows students that normally don’t have access to quality tutoring to gain these same benefits. For any teachers or retired teachers or professional tutors looking to volunteer, the Salvation Army at Stapleton Corps would be happy to have your expertise.
Star Lake Day Camp Sign Ups Starting, Sponsors Needed
Like tutoring, many kids from low income families don’t get the opportunity to go away to camp. But the Salvation Army has a sleepaway camp for kids in the area. Star Lake Camp is in Bloomingdale, New Jersey, and runs for about four weeks during the summer. Kids meet the bus on Staten Island and head away for their own summer vacation.
The program is donor supported, and anyone can sponsor a neighborhood child to attend the camp. They hope to have all 200 kids sponsored this year.
Volunteers are needed throughout the year for all of the different programs that the Salvation Army runs. People interested in learning more can check on the Greater New York Salvation Army website or call their local Corps to inquire about available opportunities. These can include food pantry help, soup kitchen assistance, tutoring, gift wrapping for the holidays, and much more.
If you’re a SNAP recipient looking for a way to meet your hours, this is one possibility, and it’s definitely an improvement over giving free labor to a for profit company, as TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) created in the 1990s. This situation had persisted until this latest bill, which also contained the largest cut to SNAP eligibility since the enactment of TANF. In terms of numbers of people who have already lost their SNAP benefits due to tightened eligibility and work requirements, about 3 million, or 8% of participants have dropped from the program. This is very close to the loss of number of people on the program in 1996 with the passage of TANF. Unlike at other times, where the rate declines due to improving economic conditions, these people aren’t losing benefits because they don’t need them. They’re losing them because of the passage of HR1, or the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The need is still quite there, but the government is no longer providing any assistance. ‘Pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ is their adage. They’ve quite forgotten that ‘But for the grace of God, there goes myself…’
Banner Image: Community police officers help prepare the grand opening of Harvest of Hope. Image Credit – Salvation Army
Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer
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