Community gathers to auction off harvest

Just like their farming counterparts, every fall, the Salvation Army harvests all that they can for the cold winter months.

Hundreds of goodies were auctioned off tonight at the Ishpeming Salvation Army to help line the coffers for families in need. From sports memorabilia to lawn mowers, everything sold goes directly toward buying toys for kids and food for people in the community who struggle during the holiday season.

“We send out letters, starting in July, asking local businesses to step up and help us out. Many of them, year after year, are giving something,” noted Stephen Hansen, a Corps Officer at the Ishpeming Salvation Army. “Our board members step out to their friends that own other companies and get those things to come in. We have people that make stuff for us. We have volunteers who are here everyday of the week making things and giving them to us. People just come out of the woodwork, it seems, to step up and make sure we have plenty of items to bid off to those who want to purchase them. Somebody once called the Salvation Army the ‘Volunteer Army,’ and our founder said, ‘No. We’re the Salvation Army.’ We really are a volunteer army. We wouldn’t survive without our volunteers.”

Although cash donations are always needed, volunteering your time can be just as helpful. Whether it’s making food at the pantry or helping clean the kitchen, every little bit makes a difference.