Albany Salvation Army struggling with competition for local charity dollars

ALBANY — In tough economic times, local charities tend to feel the first pinch and the longest-lasting effects of any downturn. Fundraising often turns into a competition among nonprofit social services providers, and the Salvation Army of Albany, the oldest and most well-known social service agency, is feeling that pinch.

And make no mistake, fundraising is a fierce competition among nonprofits.

“The last 40 years of my involvement with the Salvation Army tells me that the Army has played a larger role in providing for the community than our competition,” SA board member Lem Griffin said. “We have more churches and more people trying to provide these services than ever before. I would encourage people to come on board with the Army. They know how to do the best job of any of them. For some reason, I feel there are more people getting involved with the charitable organizations, and we have so many in Albany to choose from it makes things tough on all of us.

“I’m not criticizing in any way. I am saying if we all could come together and support the Army, we could provide a much better service to our community. We have an issue in Albany where we have certain groups of people that take advantage of the resources that are out there for people in need.”

Fellow SA board member David Blackwell agrees.

“In the city of Albany, nobody does, or offers, what the Salvation Army does at the level that it does with the credibility of more than 100 years of history behind it,” Blackwell said. “We have more nonprofits per capita than most of the cities in this country. Everybody is competing for the same dollars. But I always tell people to look at how many cents of that dollar is actually being spent on the actual needs of the community. I think if we were to investigate that, it would show the Salvation Army does more with those dollars in the community.

“The Salvation Army in Albany is the feeding and sheltering machine of this community.”

Board member Jim Ligon echoed the feelings of Griffin and Blackwell.

“The Salvation Army is the go-to place in Albany for sheltering people who for whatever reason find themselves without a place to stay,” Ligon said. “Of course, we screen people for criminal records because we have a responsibility to those who are here. But as far as eating, there are no questions asked and a person can eat two meals a day.”

Ligon added, “There are some needs in the community that are not being met by anyone today but could be in the future. One of those services is for homeless families. If you are a married couple and you have children, there is not a place to stay together in Albany as a family. But there are services the Army provides beyond feeding and sheltering. Let’s say you have a fire in your home and you need clothes. You can get a voucher to go get clothes at the thrift store. If you need groceries, you can come to the pantry and pick up groceries.”

The SA Thrift store provides resources to fund the group’s shelter and feeding services. That’s why the organization is currently holding a “Denim Drive,” encouraging the community to donate blue jeans and denim to the Army. Wearable denim will be sold, while unwearable items will be shredded and sold in bulk.

“Vendors will pay us a premium for denim,” Ligon said. “We’d really like to go after the denim to get that premium. That generates more revenue that we can put back into feeding people in Albany.”

Ligon pointed out that 90 percent of every dollar raised by the local organization goes back into the community.

“This is the one place in town where everyone who comes through the doors is treated with dignity,” SA Maj. Kelly English said. “We offer people sustenance and hope.”