Serving the Ozarks: The Salvation Army

It's the season for Red Kettles. This week, OzarksFirst is showing you how the dollars and cents you donate during the holidays can help local families year-round.

Through faith and volunteerism, The Salvation Army can stretch its resources to help hundreds of families with food, housing and gifts for kids during the holidays.

"The money that we raised during Christmas is what we live on and meet needs throughout the entire year," says Major Amos Shields.

Any dollar that is donated in Christian and Greene counties stays there to help our neighbors in all aspects of life.

The Salvation Army funds meal programs for seniors, as well as annual toy drives, daycare, and after-school programs for kids.

"All year round, it helps us provide summer day camp programs," says Kelly Thomas, Community Center Director. "We do field trips, we do activities, we do a musical with the kids in the summer, and money that we're raising during Christmas goes to help fund those."

The Salvation Army also operates two shelters.

Harbor House in downtown Springfield helps unsheltered men in our community, and through its Family Enrichment Center, which shelters women and children at its facility at West Chestnut Expressway and Kansas Expressway.

We spoke with Judi Turner has been volunteering since 2001 and has watched the people she's served go on to find jobs, build families and secure permanent housing.

"God, it just puts it in my heart to help," Turner told OzarksFirst.

Major Shields added, "We have the opportunity to say to every individual that comes in our building, one, to restore their dignity, to say, we love you and we care about you. Three, to say you're not alone and four to offer hope that though today's bad, there's there's something to look forward to."

If you're looking to volunteer or donate, or are in need of services The Salvation Army offers, visit its website.