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The Salvation Army responded after a high school teacher barricaded himself in a classroom in Dalton, Georgia, and fired a shot through a window earlier this week.
The Salvation Army sent a mobile feeding unit to the Dalton Convention Center in Georgia to offer water and prayer and counsel to first responders, students and family members affected by the incident. The students were evacuated to the Dalton Convention Center as part of the high school’s active shooter emergency plan.
“Immediately after we heard about the event, we grabbed all the water stored in the food center, loaded into the canteen, and drove to the [convention] center to serve,” said Major Douglas McClure, presiding officer at The Salvation Army of the Greater Dalton Area.
The Salvation Army distributed over 400 bottles of water offered prayer and counsel to 19 individuals during their three and a half hours of service in Dalton, a city of almost 35,000 residents about 80 miles northwest of Atlanta.
“Everyone from responding organizations to the school students, faculty and parents were grateful for our presence,” McClure said.
The Salvation Army was allowed into the sequestered gym area of the convention center by the high school staff and board of education to serve the students. They remained on-site until all of the high school students were reunited with their parents.
“Some people think The Salvation Army emergency disaster responses are only for hurricanes and floods. The reality is that The Salvation Army stands ready to serve when any kind of disaster strikes,” McClure said. “The impact of this event will be with this community for a long time. And whenever and wherever, we will always be there for them in their time of need with aid, support and comfort.”
