The Salvation Army DFW Blog: August 2012

Summer's going by so fast!

Dear Friends,

Despite the scorching heat—we’ll get to that in a minute—the summer has been a pretty cool season for The Salvation Army.

NATIONAL DONUT DAY

Salvation Army employees serving
donuts and coffee during this year's
National Donut Day!

Many in the DFW Metroplex joined us in celebrating National Donut Day on June 1. A long-time tradition dating back to 1938, the celebration reminds us of the service of the Doughnut Ladies during World War I, and the soldiers they served during the conflict.

This year, we collaborated with Dunkin Donuts, DART in Dallas, and the “T” in Fort Worth to celebrate this event. We distributed tasty Dunkin Donuts —for free— at DART's Mockingbird Station in Dallas and at the “T” Intermodal Transportation Center in Fort Worth.

We’re grateful for Dunkin Donuts, DART and the “T” for joining us in the National Donut Day celebration.

DALLAS COWBOYS ROOKIE CLUB

Recently, the Dallas Cowboys Rookie Club traded their football pads for our volunteer aprons. During National Salvation Army Week, the 2012 rookies came to our homeless shelter in Dallas to serve meals to residents.

Members of the Dallas Cowboys
Rookie Club painting the ceiling tiles
of the women's wing with a child
served by our homeless shelter
in Fort Worth.

Later in mid-June, the players were at it again, this time at our homeless shelter in Fort Worth. There, members of the Rookie Club refreshed several rooms in the women’s wing, providing a fresh paint job on the walls and decorating the ceiling tiles. The effort was part of the Dallas Cowboys’ “New Play Fitness Zone” project, which is part of the Dallas Cowboys and National Football League’s Play 60 initiative designed to tackle childhood obesity and inspire kids to play well and eat better.

The Dallas Cowboys Rookie Club did a marvelous job helping out those we serve. We are appreciative of their efforts!

HEAT RELIEF

It is dangerously hot out there!

Our cooling station across the DFW
Metroplex are open.
Find heat relief at a cooling station near you.

As you no doubt have noticed, we've been experiencing temperatures as high as 100+ degrees on several days. Such temperatures can be harmful to people's health, especially vulnerable groups like the homeless and the elderly.

Such high heat requires precautionary measures such as staying cool and keeping hydrated. However, there are many who do not have the means to do so. Last year in Dallas County, 31 people died due to heat-related issues. Many more suffered through the excessive heat due to a lack of resources.

The Salvation Army understands that many people need heat relief during the summer. And we're doing our part to help. We've set up Cooling Stations at 15 of our centers. Each Cooling Station provides cold beverages and a cool environment where people can stay during the day. Thirteen of the Cooling Stations are open Monday through Friday, while the remaining two -- one in Dallas and one in Fort Worth -- are open seven days a week.

Here’s a short video of Gerald’s experience at our Salvation Army Mabee Center Cooling Station in Fort Worth: