Salvation Army Consolidates Services, Expands Meals in Houston, Texas

Salvation Army Consolidates Services, Expands Meals in Houston, Texas

Dallas, Texas (July 14, 2024) – The Salvation Army is consolidating its services into a single base camp, nearly a week after Hurricane Beryl slammed the Texas coast and the Houston area. The Wharton Baptist kitchen and operations are scheduled to close Sunday, with feeding operations continuing out of a second kitchen located at the Salvation Army’s disaster warehouse in Houston.

As power is gradually restored throughout the region, The Salvation Army’s Disaster Emergency Services team has continued to monitor and assess community needs and service areas. A field kitchen, operated by the Southern Baptist Texas Convention, has been based at New Faith Church in Wharton since Tuesday, July 9, producing meals for distribution by Salvation Army teams in Brazoria, Matagorda and Wharton counties. That kitchen will close Sunday, with ongoing feeding operations in the region supported by the Texans on Mission (TBM) Base Camp and Kitchen in Houston. The Houston kitchen has increased food production to 10,000 meals per day.

“We are very grateful to New Faith Church in Wharton for supporting the work of The Salvation Army and allowing us to set up the field kitchen and base camp at their church,” said Kathleen Kouns, long-term recovery program manager for The Salvation Army in Texas. “We have a long-standing relationship with the church and from the moment we requested a location for a base camp, they have been very supportive.”

In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri and freezing temperatures hit Texas, putting a significant strain on the power grid, leading to major power outages, frozen equipment, and infrastructure failures. The Salvation Army partnered with the Just Keep Livin Foundation to provide financial assistance, including home repairs, to individuals and families who lost power and whose homes were damaged. DeWanda White of New Faith Church was instrumental in identifying clients in Wharton and the surrounding area who could benefit from Salvation Army assistance.

“Once we realized a second base camp for operations was needed in Southeast Texas, we reached out to New Faith Church. It was all very last minute, but within two hours, everything was set up for our team to move into the church,” Kouns said. “They invited our staff and volunteers to stay overnight at the church, opened their kitchen, and couldn’t have been more helpful and accommodating. Thank you to New Faith Church and Pastor Felicia Matthews for your continued partnership with The Salvation Army and service to your community.”

Twenty-two mobile feeding units and trained emergency response teams, including recent arrivals from Jackson, Biloxi, Birmingham and Baton Rouge, supported 26 service sites Saturday. Sunday’s feeding operations will take place at the following locations:

• Shephard Community Center, 10251 Main Street, Shephard
• Ollies Bargain Outlet, 1711 East Houston Street, Cleveland
• Plum Grove Community Center, 1680 County Road 2549, Cleveland
• New Mt Calvary Baptist Church, 6051 Vasser Rd, Houston
• Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet Street, Houston
• Almendarez Community Center, 10918 Bentley Street, Houston
• Houston Refinery, 751 95th Street, Houston
• Shady Village Manufactured Home, 2304 Wichita Street, Pasadena
• Wichita Mobile Home Park, 2201 Wichita Street, Pasadena
• Jack Hartle Building, 318 San Jacinto Street, Liberty
• Independence Hall Apartments, 6 Burress St, Houston
• Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 4812 Bennington Street, Houston
• Conroe County Shelters
• Salvation Army Northwest Corps, 12507 Windfern Road, Houston
• 20730 Idle Glenn Roadway, New Caney (neighborhood)
• 3641 Texas Highway 150, New Waverly
• Patton Village Town Hall, 16940 Main Street, Splendora
• 12922 Becklin Lane, Houston
• Kennedy Elementary School, 10200 Huntington Place Drive, Houston
• Coldspring Training Center, 20 Hill Ave, Coldspring
• Brazoria County – Roaming in Freeport and Jackson Lake
• Matagorda County – Palacios PD 405 Commerce St, Palacios
• Wharton County – Wharton Civic Center, 1924 N Fulton St, Wharton
• Brazoria County Government Office – Holiday Lakes, 195 N Texas Ave, Holiday Lakes and West Columbia City Hall 512 E Brazos Ave, West Columbia
• Brazoria Fire Department, 202 N Brooks St, Brazoria

Link to the map of service locations: https://batchgeo.com/map/015dffc8f79da4f1d2d58e9bb3f25cdd

The Salvation Army has served 46,663 meals, 42,157 beverages, 7,418 snacks, 192 MRE cases and made 7,256 emotional and spiritual care contacts since the service began Tuesday, July 9 in impacted communities in Houston and Southeast Texas.

For the latest information, visit www.disaster.salvationarmy.org and watch for regular updates on our social media pages at www.facebook.com/salvationarmytexas/ and www.twitter.com/salarmytxTo donate, visit www.helpsalvationarmy.org.