Listen to this article
An upgraded, larger facility will improve social services.
by Sydney Fong –
“This absolutely blew me away,” Tim Weisbeck said after touring the new Salvation Army Family Services building in the Northern Sacramento, Calif., area. He was one of nearly 100 in attendance who showed up for the grand opening of the facility on May 13, 2010.
The new resource is a much-needed upgrade to old building in downtown Sacramento, which was too small to accommodate the growing number of families and individuals seeking assistance. The area has experienced an increase of 118 percent in social service requests over the past year, including the food box program.
“We are blessed to have this building,” said David Bentley, Salvation Army Sacramento county coordinator. “The Salvation Army can now serve the families and individuals in a very professional and first-class manner.”
The current building can easily accommodate case management, an intake area and a warehouse to store donated food and clothes. Families from Sacramento County can come to Family Services for help with groceries, rent, utilities and transportation.
“It was great to see what The Salvation Army is doing,” Weisbeck said. “There were some things I didn’t even know The Salvation Army does.”
Those attending the grand opening enjoyed a unique tour of the facility, which had been transformed into a Monopoly-esque game called “Movin-opoly.” Visitors used a game sheet to help navigate through the different services the Army provides.
“This was fun,” attendee Barbara Little said. “What a creative way to go through a tour. I learned so much about Salvation Army programs in Sacramento.”