The Salvation Army’s anti-poverty efforts bring hope year-round in Hamilton.
The Salvation Army is a well-established faith-based charitable organization around the world and here in the Hamilton community. Their Ludlow Street building has been a Salvation Army location for 100 years, with a presence in Hamilton starting even earlier than that.
While many people recognize Angel Tree gift programs and the cheery red kettles and bell ringers during the holiday season, many don’t know just how wide the impact of the Salvation Army on the local community is. The work at the Salvation Army is completed throughout the year, despite a focus on fundraising and donations in the November and December timeframe.
Major Persida Sanclemente and Major Leo Sanclemente, officers of the Salvation Army who run the Hamilton Corps, came to Hamilton 4 years ago. They have spent 29 years serving their neighbors in the Salvation Army as officers.
They see their opportunity to give back to the Hamilton community as a sign of an important connection between those who have enough to generously give of their time and resources and those who are currently going through a time when they could really use some help and hope.
“We see people every day, and their lives are not easy,” says Major Leo Sanclemente. “We don’t want people to think that they’ve been forgotten.”
While the Salvation Army offers a wide variety of programs globally, here in Hamilton one of the flagship programs is their free midday meal, meant to meet practical needs of those in downtown Hamilton.
“Our feeding ministry, Helping Hands, is a free nutritious complete meal served Monday through Friday,” says Major Persida. “We took attendance and checked people in by first name and last initial to keep track over the past two years. What we found this past year was that over 1000 people had eaten a meal here, and the total number of meals served was more than 20,000.”
They also administer funds to assist those who need help with their utility bills, helping more than 100 families a year. They provide practical support to individuals who need copies of their birth certificates or to apply for an official identification card; not having these items can present a barrier to seeking employment and housing. They offer a summer day camp, a basketball league in their gym, and connect visitors to a variety of other services and opportunities around the community.
While they see many needs being met, there are always more ways for the Salvation Army and other local organizations to help those who live in our community.
“There is a lot of opportunity for employment now in Hamilton, but there are still needs for transportation and safety nets to get people going,” explains Major Persida.
They eventually want to bring people who have been in intergenerational poverty and give them a springboard out of poverty, through safety net style programs like those they already have, but also with transportation and childcare assistance and basic skills and job skills trainings. Some of this work may be the work of the Salvation Army, and other aspects of it may happen through other non-profits and organizations.
The Sanclementes also preach at the church that is part of the local Salvation Army, and they believe their faith is deeply connected to everything they do for the community.
While many of the individuals who come to the Salvation Army are experiencing difficulty and trying times, the Sanclementes have also been heartened by the way that Hamilton rallies around their own.
“To get gifts for these 1200 children this past year, we had to have 1200 donors to serve them by buying gifts,” says Major Persida. “The Hamiltonians we know give back to their community; that’s the Hamilton and Butler County we know.”
The Salvation Army doesn’t just need your help during the holiday season; consider volunteering or donating all year round. You can donate to the Salvation Army through the central website salvationarmyusa.org, or you can contact the Hamilton Corps of the Salvation Army to learn about needs for donations of food, materials, and volunteer time for their various programs.