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To The Leader

Pilgrim’s Lufkin, a valued year-round partner of The Salvation Army in Angelina County, came forward with an offer to provide meal support to residents of Orange. Much of the city, along with large areas of Southeast Texas, have been without power since Hurricane Laura blew through on Thursday. Individuals and families have greatly appreciated the hot meals provided by The Salvation Army and those prepared by Pilgrim’s served as a great boost.

The team from Pilgrim’s pulled into The Salvation Army of Orange on Saturday morning bringing with them a three-day supply of chicken, sides, and a custom BBQ pit. The enthusiastic Pilgrim’s staff spent the morning setting up and preparing for hungry residents, first serving a quick lunch, and later BBQ chicken and sides for dinner. More than 6,000 meals were served between Saturday and Monday, handled almost completely by the Pilgrim’s crew, from cooking, assembling the meals, and distributing in the drive thru line.

“This falls right in line with the Pilgrim’s principals and we are very humbled to work with The Salvation Army,” said Christian Dempsey, Operations Manager for Pilgrim’s Lufkin. “You come down here and see the turmoil that people are going through right now. It is very humbling for our team at Pilgrim’s to be part of the recovery. Anything we can do to support this area, we’re going to do that, not just as Americans but as Texans. That’s our commitment here at Pilgrim’s.”

On Monday, seven mobile feeding units from Texas served meals in Lake Charles, LA, while an additional seven supported communities in Southeast Texas. Since Friday, The Salvation Army has served 47,941 meals, 38,121 drinks, 18,616 snacks in affected communities. Trained staff and Emotional and Spiritual Care volunteers have prayed with 435 storm survivors.

“The Salvation Army is grateful to Pilgrim’s for their generous donation, not only of food, but also for the dedication and hard work of their staff in Orange this weekend,” said Alvin Migues, Director of The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services for Texas. “They have done a tremendous job over the last three days, leaving Lufkin early in the morning and returning home each day after dinner, through to their final meal service on Monday evening. I’m sure that residents of this community will remember their positive community spirit, even longer than their fantastic BBQ chicken.”

The Salvation Army is serving food in the following fixed locations on Tuesday:

Bridge City – Market Basket: 2005 Texas Ave Bridge City, TX

Port Arthur – Sam Houston Elementary: 3245 36th Port Arthur, TX

Orange Corps – 1950 MLK Drive Orange, TX

Vidor – 115 W. Bolivar St, Vidor TX

Newton – Newton Church/Food Bank: 501 Main Street, Newton, TX

Deweyville High School – 171 TX-12, Deweyville, TX (TX-12 & HWY 87)

Mauriceville Middle School – 19952 FM 1130, Orange, TX

The best way to support the disaster work of The Salvation Army by making a financial donation at www.helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY. For the latest information please go to www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and watch for regular updates on our social media pages at www.facebook.com/salvationarmytexas/ and www.twitter.com/salarmytx.