Hope is on the Way
William Booth once said, “The Salvation Army is a place of hope. When every other light is extinguished, and every other star has gone down, this one gleam shines steadily and clearly out in the darkened sky: ‘If I could only get to The Salvation Army, they will do something for me.’”
The Salvation Army began offering Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) after the Galveston hurricane in September 1900. With the city destroyed and thousands dead, the national commander deployed officers from across the country to Galveston to help feed and shelter the thousands of survivors while also providing much needed emotional and spiritual support. In a time when many had lost all source of light, the hope William Booth spoke about was on the way to gleam brightly in Galveston.
For over 120 years, The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services has been that light of hope, shining steadily for survivors, no matter the type of disaster. With “Hope is on the Way” proudly displayed on their visage, EDS canteens and volunteers provide an anchor and a source of comfort as necessary as the beverages, snacks, meals, and recovery supplies they also distribute.
Providing emotional and spiritual care to the local survivors begins a ripple that turns into a wave cascading through families, communities, and beyond. After a tornado destroyed Rolling Fork, Mississippi in 2023, Captain Heather Dolby spoke of her experience praying with an extended family of relatives who had all traveled there to assist their aunt. “In times of disaster, we often focus on the survivors, but we forget about the supporters who are there to help their family and friends who have lost everything. To be able to pray not just for survivors but for their supporters was an amazing gift, and I’m so thankful for it.”
These relationships, created by distributing hot meals and cold drinks or providing a listening ear in a time of immediate need, can then be fostered by the local Salvation Army unit as the disaster cycle shifts from response to recovery. After the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, a team from San Antonio responded to provide meals and drinks to first responders as well as emotional and spiritual care to a community engulfed in confusion and grief. They were then able to stay in contact and foster roots in a community that had before been closed off and difficult to reach.
Amanda Bishop, emergency services manager with San Antonio Area Command, spoke about her experience: “When we arrived in Uvalde, we built a strong relationship with the funeral home across the street from the school. They let us be on their property while we served that community… Since we operated 24/7, at night or during late hours, the officers, detectives, troopers, and FBI agents that worked all day and saw things that I can’t even imagine got to come and sit with us for a hot meal and fellowship. We got to be a listening ear to them after such terrible days. It provided a little bit of relief and hope.”
Bishop continued, “Those relationships grew when we got home because we followed up with those folks by bringing them in for lunch, doing tours, but also when they asked us for things we showed up at events or incidents, and they brought us to community events to help us educate on who we are and what we do.”
Volunteering to serve with EDS is often an obvious first step that becomes a gateway to volunteering in other areas with The Salvation Army, and sometimes even leads to eventual employment. Kelly Adamczyk, who recently deployed in response to Hurricane Idalia in Georgia, transitioned from volunteer to employee not long after. “What hooked me and will always keep me coming back are the people,” said Kelly. “For volunteers, the mission is always the same—to help in a time of need.”
This passion for service remains at the heart of everything Emergency Disaster Services does. No matter the disaster and no matter the location, EDS is always prepared and poised to respond. In periods of darkness and grief, not only will hope be on the way; hope will linger. Let it always be said, even in times of uncertainty, “If I could only get to The Salvation Army, they will do something for me.”
Hope is on the way. Hope is here. Hope remains.
