Lenten Meals, Free Will Offering

The Phelps County Salvation Army Unit will be hosting their annual Lenten meals starting on Thursday, February 15 and going six weeks through Thursday, March 21. The meals will be served at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church at 512 Tilden Street from 5:30-7:00 pm. All meals are take-out and may be picked up at the south door of the church. When you drive up, a volunteer will ask you how many meals you want.

Different churches and organizations will prepare and take the meals to your vehicle each week. The local Salvation Army committee decided that this year, instead of the meals being free as they have been in past years, we will use the Lenten meals as a fundraiser to help with the ongoing financial needs of our unit. A free will offering will be taken to go towards the services that are provided by the Phelps County Unit. During our past fiscal year, our local unit spent $27,385 to assist 149 households that includes 415 individuals in Phelps County with rent, utilities, groceries, and lodging. The Phelps County Unit had a very successful bell ringing campaign this past Christmas season and received many donations during Give2Grow on November 16, yet our needs continue to increase in our county. Our Unit committee wants to ensure we have enough funds to be able to help those in need and who are facing challenging circumstances. Due to the extreme cold and snowy weather recently, we expect families to have increases in their utility bills this winter. We greatly appreciate the churches and organizations who will prepare and serve these delicious meals. We hope you will stop by and pick up meals for yourself and your family and also make a donation to the Phelps County Salvation Army. Checks may be written out to the Salvation Army and please write in the memo Phelps County Unit.

The Salvation Army Lenten Meals were started in 2007 following the Ice Storm in late December 2006 and January 2007 that greatly impacted our area. John Titus helped to organize and facilitate these meals. It was John’s passion and desire to continue having the meals the following year and every year until his death in 2014. The Phelps County Salvation Army Unit wants to honor John for his faithful devotion to the ministry of the Salvation Army. He was very instrumental in restarting the Salvation Army Unit in Phelps County. John had a very generous heart and truly enjoyed helping those in need. We miss him and his passion for this ministry. Through John’s leadership, our Unit was able to set up so that local donations could be run through the First National Bank of Holdrege which is now First State Bank and sent onto the Salvation Army’s state headquarters in Omaha. The Phelps County Salvation Army is extremely grateful for the ongoing service that the First State Bank (FSB) management and employees provide for us and for our community.

Ninety percent of the money raised in Phelps County stays here to assist the residents of the county. Some of the other 10% is used for statewide assistance for natural disasters such as the flooding in 2019, wildfires that we have experienced in the past few years, and the Ice Storm in 2006-2007.