The Salvation Army is the last resort for people out of money who need food, emergency transportation or shelter. But in five of the 12 months of 2009, the Salvation Army itself ran out of money — sometimes only midway through the month. "That meant we had to turn people away," said Trina Crawford, the social services director for the Salvation Army in Havre. That's heartbreaking for the people at the Salvation Army, who always try to provide help to people who need it. That's why the staff is pleased that a benefit concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Havre High School auditorium. There will be a variety of musical entertainment, ranging from country to bagpipe to folk, said Charles Floyd, a Salvation Army volunteer and organizer of the event. One of the highlights will be an appearance by Salvation Lt. Col. Doug O'Brien and his wife, Lt. Col. Diane O'Brien of Seattle, accomplished vocalists and piano players. They are the regional directors of the Salvation Army, and they will be making their first visit to Havre since taking over the Seattle operations. Salvation Nation, a longtime area favorite, will also perform. Among the other performers are: • D r. Tom B o o t h , w h o d o e s Broadway tunes. • Steve Hughes, who will do some bluegrass and country music. • Lori Solomon, a vocalist • Pastor Mike Dahle of Messiah Lutheran Church will lead his Irish music band, Ceol Caint Agus Cras. • The Baird Family will perform Gaelic tunes on the bagpipes. Tickets are $5 per person or $15 for a family. The money will be used to help the many people who stop by the Salvation Army for help. Crawford said it has been a busy month, and she expects the demand to increase later this month, when winter heating assistance programs end for the season. Utility companies are reluctant to turn off power during the winter, but may start to do so in the spring, she said. That will result in an increase in pleas for help. The Salvation Army provides people with help paying utilities and food expenses and sometimes giving housing vouchers. There has been an increase in the number of transients seeking help, she said. This week, a woman was traveling through Havre when her car's transmission broke down. She had no money to get it repaired. "We could have given her money to get on the bus," Crawford said. But once she got home, she would have had no transportation to get to and from work, and she might have lost her job, Crawford said. So, the Salvation Army helped the women get her transmission repaired. While the demand for services has increased because of the poor economy, donations from the Havre community have not declined at all, she said. "The people of this community have been great," she said. "God is looking down on us, so we can help people," she said
Benefit concert planned for Havre Salvation Army
Published: Thursday, April 15th, 2010
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