National Salvation Army Week 2023
National Salvation Army Week is celebrated annually in recognition of The Salvation Army’s humanitarian efforts across the United States. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed the week following Mother’s Day as National Salvation Army Week, and it has been celebrated ever since!
Today, The Salvation Army operates in over 7,000 communities across the U.S., providing shelter, financial assistance, disaster assistance, and rehabilitation services to millions of Americans each year. Nationally, The Salvation Army employs over 50,000 people and has over 1.4 million volunteers.
Each individual area command operates locally yet is vital to the beating heart of The Salvation Army. Here at the Austin Area Command, we operate family-oriented programs that are successful in fulfilling our community’s needs. Our two shelters, The Rathgeber Center for Families and The Austin Shelter for Women and Children, provided a safe place to stay, three meals a day, and critical resources to help over 1,000 people experiencing homelessness return to self-sufficiency last year. The Williamson County Service Center provided an additional 383 people with rent and utility assistance.
The needs of the Central Texas community are specific. Our programs understand these needs, offer immediate relief, and help create long-term solutions. In serving the needs of our community, we work to fulfill the national mission of The Salvation Army, honoring the purpose of National Salvation Army Week.
“Among Americans, The Salvation Army has long been a symbol of wholehearted dedication to the cause of human brotherhood... Giving freely of themselves, the men and women of The Salvation Army have won the respect of us all.” - President Dwight D. Eisenhower