The Salvation Army | 'First and foremost, we are a church'

Corps Officer Tim Scott with The Salvation Army is hard pressed to say which of his agency’s programs mean the most.

“It depends on who you are,” he said after a long pause contemplating the question. “If you don’t have food, it’s our food pantry. If you’re struggling with heroin addition, it’s our adult rehab program. If you can’t pay rent and we have enough in the budget, it would be our rental assistance. We do so much across so many different areas.”

Most have heard of The Salvation Army – the faith-based agency has been around for more than 150 years, founded by a Methodist minister in London who set up mission stations to feed and house the poor in the 1800s.

Today, many are familiar with the agency’s disaster response, have shopped in the resale stores or dropped a donation in a bell ringer’s red bucket during the holidays.

But the agency has a much longer list of activities and community services.

The Salvation Army serving Georgetown and Williamsburg counties helps hundreds of residents a year. Roughly 60 residents a month use the food pantry, more than 1,300 kids receive toys at Christmas through Toys for Tots and another 300 get toys during Christmas in July. There’s also an after-school tutoring program for kids from Georgetown Middle School who have fallen behind academically and a rehab center in Charlotte, North Carolina, for those struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol.

The Salvation Army also provides clothes to the needy, whether it’s a child who needs appropriate clothing for school or an adult who has landed a new job and needs the proper attire. It also helps send kids to summer camp in Denton, North Carolina, and helps residents recover after a hurricane or other natural disaster.

“We try really hard to be the resource to the community that they can turn to when they don’t know where to turn,” Scott said.

The Salvation Army is one of about 25 partners in the Tidelands Community Care Network, which was created by Tidelands Health in partnership with Access Health SC and The Duke Endowment. The network is comprised of health educators, state agencies, transportation providers, primary and specialty care providers and others who can help uninsured and underinsured residents gain access to medical care.

“The Salvation Army is a strong partner to have in our network,” said Kelly Kaminski, director of Community Health Resources for Tidelands Health. “The agency has such a long-standing tradition of helping from the heart and has continued to broaden its programs as the needs in our community have evolved.”

Through Tidelands Community Care Network, Scott has made a variety of connections with community partners he can call for help arranging specific services for clients.

“At a moment’s notice, I know who to call,” he said. “This has been a fabulous community – with a capital ‘C’ – with resources available.”

To help fund its many programs, the Salvation Army operates two Family Thrift stores, in Georgetown and Litchfield.

The Salvation Army’s efforts are driven by faith. The agency’s mission is to “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination.”

“First and foremost, we are a church,” said Scott, who is also a minister who leads Sunday services at the Anthuan Maybank Drive location along with his wife, Melissa. “We want to have an impact on a greater level than just a bag of groceries or clothes.”