The Salvation Army Receives a $360,000 Grant from Truist
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, (August 24, 2020) – With historic unemployment, eviction moratoriums potentially coming to a close and food insecurity continuing to affect millions of Americans every day, Truist Financial Corporation, as part of its Truist Cares initiative*, is supporting feeding, sheltering, education and other programs for individuals, families and seniors who are especially vulnerable to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 by providing a $360,000 grant to The Salvation Army across the country.
“The Salvation Army is there before, during and after a disaster or crisis,” said Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder, National Commander of The Salvation Army USA. “COVID-19 has lingered beyond what we could have expected, and it is because of support from organizations like Truist that we know we can continue until it passes, and long after, to help our communities heal.”
The Salvation Army has provided increased assistance since the first days of the COVID-19 outbreak. As of August 21, the organization has distributed more than 75-million meals in response to the pandemic, which includes 10-million ready meals and more than 3-million food boxes containing 20 meals each. 
In addition to food services, The Salvation Army has provided 1.5-million nights of shelter, 191,986 infant supplies, 417,776 hygiene kits, 1.48-million personal protective equipment items, and emotional and spiritual care to 813,436 people.
“We are proud to support the Salvation Army and the great work they do to meet the needs of Americans experiencing hardship,” said Evelyn Lee, Greater Washington regional president at Truist. “Their efforts to provide a full spectrum of aid, particularly during this difficult time, aligns with our purpose at Truist to inspire and build better lives and communities.”
The Truist Cares grant will be used to serve vulnerable individuals, families and senior communities in: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC.
The Truist Cares grant will provide as many as 144,000 additional meals to individuals and families struggling from loss of industry and employment, as well as meal delivery to thousands of vulnerable seniors who are sheltered in place.
Read Alicia’s story for an example of how The Salvation Army helps those affected by COVID-19:
Alicia, a full-time candy store employee and mother of four from York, Pennsylvania, had her hours cut drastically when COVID-19 struck, and then she fell $2,000 behind on her rent. With no other options left, Alicia turned to The Salvation Army. She received $1,000 to help with rent, and she was able to pay the other $1,000 herself. The Salvation Army also helped her with food assistance to help further ease the financial burden.
“This helped me out a lot,” Alicia said. “Without The Salvation Army, I don’t think we would be able to continue to stay in this house that we’re in now. [To] anyone looking for help, The Salvation Army is your best bet. They work with you, and when they say they’re willing to help you, they follow up, step by step.”
Alicia is now back to work full-time and is continuing to work with The Salvation Army to earn her GED and high school diploma.
Support and learn more about The Salvation Army’s COVID-19 relief efforts: SalvationArmyUSA.org/covid19
Find your local Salvation Army: salarmy.us/locations
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operations around the country. In the first-ever listing of “America’s Favorite Charities” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country’s largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter: @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.
About Truist
Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspire and build better lives and communities. With 275 years of combined BB&T and SunTrust history, Truist serves approximately 12 million households with leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country. The company offers a wide range of services including retail, small business and commercial banking; asset management; capital markets; commercial real estate; corporate and institutional banking; insurance; mortgage; payments; specialized lending and wealth management. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist is the sixth-largest commercial bank in the U.S. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com.
*Truist Cares is a cooperative effort between Truist Financial Corporation, Truist Foundation, Inc., and Truist Charitable Fund to provide communities, organizations and individuals disaster relief and assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.