Salvation Army serves 1,300 meals at local shelter

ALBANY — As Irma swayed to the right and then to the left and eventually passed over Albany, housing and feeding evacuees displaced by the storm became a bit of a challenge.

Donna Anderson, a Red Cross shelter manager from Atlanta, arrived in Albany late last week to manage the Red Cross shelter that opened at the local Civic Center. Other seasoned shelter workers came in to help from as far away as New Hampshire and Michigan.

Evacuees from Florida and Georgia’s east coast arrived on Friday, but as Irma changed directions and headed toward Albany, many of those from out of state or the beaches headed farther west or north.

As Irma crept up Florida’s west coast and and headed toward Albany late Sunday and into Monday, the shelter numbers rose to nearly 400 — mostly local and regional residents living in mobile homes or who had already lost power.

By Tuesday morning, Anderson said most of those who stayed in the shelter had gone.

“Most of those from the coast or out of state left late Monday or early Tuesday,” she said. “Some are still here because they are waiting for their power to be restored.”

Anderson said 54 people were still staying at the shelter by noon Tuesday. The shelter will remain open until 3 p.m. Wednesday, she noted.

After the shelter closes, Anderson and other shelter workers who came in from out of state will await their next deployment, which could be south to Florida or toward Houston, where shelters are still serving flood victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

“We generally deploy to an area for at least two weeks,” Anderson said. “After that, we sometimes go home or we move on to another location. With all this foul weather and damage, the need is so high that most of us will move on to another area where we can help.”

Although the Red Cross in Albany gave shelter training for volunteers ready to respond to Texas in the wake of Harvey, most of those volunteers stayed home with their own families as Irma passed over Albany.

While the Red Cross provided housing, Albany’s Salvation Army stayed busy all weekend preparing meals and feeding those who stayed at local shelters.

Lt. James Sullivan and his wife, Lt. Rebecca Sullivan, prepared and delivered a total of 1,350 meals to the shelter over the weekend. They served 400 for breakfast on Tuesday and prepared to serve 200 for lunch and dinner.

James Sullivan said seven volunteers assisted with food prep on Sunday, and 11 volunteers helped on Monday.

In addition to feeding the people who came to the Red Cross shelter, the Salvation Army in Albany serves meals two times a day to the homeless and others in need.

“Volunteers have made the Salvation Army what it is today,” Sullivan said. “They make a big difference.”

Two weeks ago, Rebecca Sullivan said she thought the couple would deploy to Texas with the Salvation Army’s mobile kitchen, but for now it appears there are sufficient needs closer to home.

“After Irma, there are urgent needs right here in Georgia,” James Sullivan said, “The Salvation Army will likely keep us where we are needed until the worst of it gets better.”

As of Monday morning, reports from other south Georgia Salvation Army locations showed power was out for many residents in Valdosta, Savannah and all along the Atlantic coast.

“They are still feeding about 1,000 people a day in Savannah,” Sullivan said. “Salvation Army centers in Valdosta are running out of food. Based on a report I received today, their power is still out and they only have enough supplies to feed people until Thursday.”