Bremerton Salvation Army

Kettle corn is our new fund-raising venture.  Plain bags are available for a suggested donation of $5 for plain and $6 for caramel.  You can find us at the Wal-Mart in Bremerton every Thursday and Friday afternoon and evening from 2pm to 7pm.  Profits go into supporting our expanded services to the homeless.

We have almost reached our goal of raising $3.6 million.  Our aim is to completely remodel our current building into a community center and build a new social services next door with  showers and laundry for the homeless.  See a complete description of the remodel below.

The next phase of the campaign is to create an endowment of $4 million.

Our capital campaign manager is Tina Boewe.

We are almost ready to start and remodel and new construction of our Salvation Army buildings.  Our present building will be totally gutted and remodeled into an inviting church and community center.  We will construct a new building right next door that will share a common wall so we can walk between buildings.  It will feature showers and laundry for the homeless, plus a larger dining room and state-of-the-art kitchen and food bank.  The basement of the community center will house the food storage and also a clothing bank.

We hope to begin construction of the new building in the fall of 2012.  Once that is finished we will move our operations into that building while our current building is remodeled.  All construction should be completed by early 2015.

The next edition of the homeless newsletter by Sally Santana is now available.   Sally is always glad to receive ideas for news stories and other information for the newsletter.  You can post those here or send them to her directly.  She will also pay $20 to any person who is willing to tell their story.  Payment will be made if the story is published in the newsletter.

You can pick up your copy at The Salvation Army, most social services agencies and any food bank in the county.  Or you can go to  http://pugetsoundblogs.com/side-street-news/

“Breakfast at Sally’s” continues to be a hot seller.   In it author Richard LeMieux tells how he went from wealth to homelessness to near suicide to discovering a new life and new identity after coming to The Salvation Army (“Sally’s”).  He is  in great demand all over the country as a speaker on the topic of homelessness. You can reach him at home at (360) 698-5743.

The book is for sale in our office for $15.  We are located at 832 6th St. in downtown Bremerton, near the corner of 6th and Warren.  We are open every weekday from 8am to 4pm.

Tina Benett and three other song writers have written songs based on chapters in Richard’s book.  If enough songs about the homeless are written by local artists, we will try to make an “Album For the Homeless.”

Richard is currently writing a children’s book about his beloved dog Willow, who died of cancer on Nov. 21, 2009.

You are encouraged to visit the website “breakfastatsallys.com.”   There is a copy of the first chapter of the book and other information.