Columbia’s War on Poverty: Everybody pulling together
Last weekend we did something kind of crazy at The Salvation Army that I think illustrates a pretty important point. Poverty is such a big issue that it takes an awful lot of people, from all parts of our community, pulling together to make any headway at all in addressing it.
What happened is that one of our team members stood in front of The First Presbyterian Church over on Hitt Street and rang a Salvation Army bell for 34 hours straight, raising money and awareness for poverty relief.
Over the course of the 34 hours — no sleeping and only getting 15-minute breaks every eight hours because there is also the possibility of setting a world record — he was joined by members of our community, keeping him awake and motivated to continue.
This is where we get to the point. It was not just anybody who participated; it was kind of everybody. At all hours of the day and night, people from all over Columbia took an hour shift of bell ringing (no, not the full 34 hours, like our probably still recovering team member). Others found different ways to get involved and try to make a small difference in the effort.
Volunteers and visitors included everyone from the fairly wealthy to people currently unsheltered. We had people of all colors, religions, gender identifications, and otherwise from myriad walks of life.
Four of the five currently announced Columbia mayoral candidates participated, as did candidates for city council and state representative. Several elected officials also joined the fun.
Among many others, we should give a special shout-out to partners in poverty relief efforts Darin Preis of Central Missouri Community Action, John Baker of the Central Missouri Community Foundation, Nick Foster (formerly) of Voluntary Action Center, and Jen Wheeler of City of Refuge.
Oh, and we definitely should mention the three pageant winners — Miss Columbia Amanda Lewis, Miss Boone County Melissa Gomes, and Miss Clark County Calissa Cormier, all 2022.
The list goes on and it really was an incredible two days. It could not have happened without everybody’s help. Importantly, everyone who stepped up is deeply committed to winning the war on poverty and making Columbia the best it can be.
Do you know what we did not ask anybody involved? We did not ask a single person about political party or other affiliation. Some of them we knew and we definitely had a broad spectrum of deeply held beliefs, but we did not ask. There was no litmus test.
From beginning to end, we all just worked together to make it happen — something that many did not think was possible. That is exactly how we should approach our many cultural issues. Let’s all roll up our sleeves and just get the job done… together.
The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operations around the country. In the first-ever listing of “America’s Favorite Charities” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country’s largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information about The Salvation Army Central Territory, please visit CentralUSA.SalvationArmy.org or your local Salvation Army at SalvationArmyCoMo.org or SalvationArmyJeffCity.org.
Major Curtiss Hartley is a leader of The Salvation Army Mid-Missouri, with facilities in Columbia and Jefferson City. The Salvation Army provides a wide range of community services to address poverty and other issues, seeking to rebuild lives and create lasting change.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia’s War on Poverty: Everybody pulling together