About Us
Our Mission
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to meet human need in His name without discrimination.
Our History
Our local SA Chapter has been in our community since WW2. The first donation was for the amount of $65.30.
Gary Porter and Dr. Carl Larson started our local SA Chapter. Our chapter started with 2 board members. Now, we have 36 board members!
In 1990, Vaughan Emerson saw the Tree of Lights Campaign in Springfield. He wanted to implement it with our local chapter, so Vaughn built our first Tree of Lights Display.
Kathy Harbaugh, Secretary and Treasurer for the SA of Pulaski County, explained how the local “kick off” tradition fundraising tradition began. Her father in law, Wilbur Harbaugh, was a kicker for the Marines. Wilbur brought his football experience to The Salvation Army of Pulaski County’s Tree of Lights Celebration.
Did you know?
In 2023, our local Pulaski County Salvation Army distributed:
Food Baskets, feeding 2162 people during the holidays
Christmas Goody Bags to Pulaski County Nursing, Group Homes, and Homebound Seniors
Allocated to support the Food Back Pack Programs divided among all public schools in Pulaski County, benefitting 100's of children
Individuals given emergency assistance
What We Do
At the Salvation Army, Doing the Most Good can mean a lot of things. We serve our community in a variety of capacities, including distributing emergency financial aid, emergency disaster relief services, supporting school supplemental food programs, and many other community needs. Not only do we serve the community in a variety of ways, but we do it 100% volunteer-run!
To learn more about what we do in Pulaski County, download our annual report. You can also learn more about the Salvation Army at story.salvationarmy.org.