Salvation Army Maj. Nathan Johnson stands by racks of clothes for the Dress an Angel Program, where needy kids pick out new clothes. The Salvation Army is conducting studies to learn where a new center should be in Metro Detroit.Salvation Army works to build a new center
The Metro charity received a bequest for the facility but needs additional funding.
At the Salvation Army Center in Warren, case worker Joyce Kostka, left, talks to Jana Bonar about receiving assistance.
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WARREN -- Five years ago, Rose Shamily says she was a crack addict and an alcoholic who neglected her children, bills and other responsibilities.
But today, the mother of four takes good care of her children, pays her bills on time and helps others recover from the grip of addiction.
Her road to recovery started with a simple meal out of one of the Salvation Army's three Bed and Bread Program trucks that roam Detroit's neediest neighborhoods, giving warm meals to the estimated 10,000 homeless people and countless needy residents who live in the city.
"The first day I ate off the Bed and Bread truck, I never knew my life would turn out like this," said Shamily, 38, a Detroit native who now lives in Warren. Her first meal led to other meals, which eventually led to Shamily enrolling in one of the Salvation Army's drug rehabilitation programs.
The Salvation Army, which has touched thousands of lives like Shamily's in Metro Detroit, is hoping its many recent successes will allow it to raise more money to carry out its work. The Metro Detroit branch of the charity received $50 million to open a new center in Detroit and exceeded its Christmas Red Kettle campaign by $700,000.
Also, with $2.6 million in donations, it leads the nation in money collected for tsunami victims.
The Salvation Army received a $50 million bequest from Ray and Joan Kroc to build and run a new center in Detroit. But it must raise another $25 million to get final approval for the project.
The charity is conducting studies to learn where the center would be best suited and is exploring how to raise the needed money to make it a reality. A location is expected to be announced in about a year, said Russ Russell, executive director of development for east Michigan.
The center would be dedicated to health, education, job training and recreation and would provide a variety of programs, including after-school, fitness, performing arts, technology and Christian worship programs.
The community center also will bring much-needed jobs to the community, said W. Todd Bassett, national commander of the Salvation Army.
"Detroit is a city that needs transformation," Bassett said. "The Salvation Army can be a catalyst to bring that redeeming transformation to the lives of people."
The community center announcement comes at a time when Detroit is leading the nation in fund raising for the charity.
Of the more than $12 million raised since the end of December for tsunami victims, $2.6 million came from Metro Detroit. The money raised locally will be used to build 1,000 new homes, a community center and medical clinics in Sri Lanka, Russell said.
"There's no community that has -- by itself -- responded to the Salvation Army's tsunami disaster relief quite the way the Detroit area has," Bassett said. "Detroit is a leader across the nation for what we are doing."
The charity also exceeded its local fund-raising goals for its Christmas Red Kettle Campaign, raising $700,000 more than the $5 million it was anticipating. And this weekend, the Salvation Army raised $1.7 million in the 18th Annual Dick Purtan Radiothon held at the Oakland Mall in Troy. The fund-raiser has brought in more than $10 million for the Bed and Bread Program since it began in 1987.
The Bed and Bread Program provides more than 3,000 meals a day through its mobile units, more than 6,000 meals a day in its homeless shelters and it provides beds for 1,600 homeless each night.
There are 17 aid centers scattered across Metro Detroit, including six in the city.
In addition to providing meals and shelter, the charity offers free legal clinics that serve more than 1,500 annually; operates drug rehabilitation centers that can accommodate 700; and helps with other needs, such as prescription assistance, utility assistance, job training and other needs.
"Many people are what we call the working poor. Some months, they fall short and they come to us," said Joseph Baunoch, an administrator for the charity's Harbor Light System and Acres of Hope programs that provide homeless assistance, chemical dependency and urgent need programs. "It allows them to catch up and get back on track. These people are depending on us to get them through to the next day."
And while the charity has been successful lately at reaching its fund-raising goals, Russell said there still is a lot of work to be done in Detroit.
"The number of people in need in this area is growing dramatically," he said. "Parts of our city mirror cities in third world countries."
You can reach Joe Menard at (248) 647-7429 or jmenard@detnews.com.
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