Salvation Army Provides Clothes for Senior Home Residents Displaced by Fire

On a cold January night, residents of a seniors home on Prince Edward Island were suddenly displaced when a fire swept through their building. Local community groups worked together to ensure they had everything they needed, which included The Salvation Army providing clothing for the 47 residents.

“The Red Cross called us the morning after the fire to let us know there were 47 residents displaced,” explains Anna Macdonald, manager of The Salvation Army thrift store in Summerside, P.E.I. “Thankfully, everyone was safe in a hotel, but they had nothing but their pajamas on.”

“We rarely get a situation to this extent”

Anna and her team quickly worked to put together enough clothes for the 36 ladies and 11 men. Unsure of their sizes, they filled three plastic totes with more than 85 articles of clothing, including sweaters, pants, blouses, shirts and as many socks as they could find.

“We often assist our community family services clients with clothing, but we rarely do we get a situation to this extent,” she explains. “But we are always prepared to help. We got the call around 1:00 P.M. and by 5:00 P.M. we had everything ready for the Red Cross to pick-up.”

“This why our program exists”

The Salvation Army often works along-side organizations, such as the Red Cross, when disaster strikes by providing food, clothing, shelter and more through our emergency disaster services program.

“This is why our program exists,” explains Jan Keats, emergency disaster services coordinator for The Salvation Army Maritime Division. “Anna and her team’s quick response displayed the readiness of The Army and how we can leap into action at a moment’s notice to help those in need.”