Salvation Army collecting tornado victim funds

The Oklahoma City area is still cleaning up the damage from the tornado that ripped through it early last week.

Non-profit agencies in the U.P. are collecting money to help out.

At the national level, neither the Red Cross nor the Salvation Army have put out a call for volunteers.

There’s also been no national request for relief supplies.

But the Marquette Salvation Army is collecting funds to support the ongoing cleanup work.

“When it’s put in the memo line (of a check) for ‘Oklahoma tornado victims’, we make sure that that donation gets immediately sent to the Oklahoma area,” said Capt. Joel Arthur. “That donation immediate goes straight to that area to help with victim relief.”

The U.P. has always been very giving when people elsewhere in the U.S. are affected by a disaster.

The Salvation Army is asking the region to continue to show that spirit.

“We know before, it responded to Hurricane Sandy, and it did the same thing for them, and past disasters, we know it’s been very generous,” Capt. Arthur said.

The Oklahoma tornado killed 24 people and injured nearly 400 others.

There are several other ways to donate to the Salvation Army’s relief effort.

Donations can be made over the phone toll-free at 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) or online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org .

Texting the word ‘STORM’ to 80888 will make a $10 donation through your mobile phone. If you want to donate that way, you’ll need to respond with the word ‘Yes’.

And that $10 amount is significant, because it’s enough to feed a disaster survivor for one day.

A $30 donation is enough to provide a food box for a family of four or a household cleanup kit.