Christiansburg and Montgomery County Salvation Army assistance programs.
The Salvation Army center in Christiansburg provides emergency assistance for low income families and people facing a crisis. Most of the aid is focused around the Montgomery County Virginia region, but there may also be an extension of their services to other towns and cities in the county. There will be appointments needed, and most of the support is around food, clothing, basic needs, and Christmas toys.
The location may provide the following emergency as well as social services. All of these resources are contingent based on funding as well as the applicant meeting the criteria in place. The social service intake line is only open Tuesday to Friday.
-The Salvation Army thrift store in Montgomery County may have low cost furniture, bedding, clothing, car seats, vintage goods and household items.
-Baby supplies, including diapers, layettes filled with free items for newborns, and formula.
-There may, on occasion, but money for paying rent, assistance for life-sustaining medications or heating bills too.
-The God’s Lunch Box Soup Kitchen feeds the needy a couple days per week.
-Christiansburg families on SNAP food stamps can be given personal hygiene products since their EBT card will not pay for them.
-Seasonal programs. Based on donations, there will be free school supplies as well as Christmas toys.
Beds, or shelter, is available for the homeless. Or it can also house women or children fleeing from domestic violence or similar issues. The Salvation Army Montgomery County Safe Harbor Shelter is for emergencies that may be faced by people in the region. It is not a long term solution for the chronically homeless.
The Salvation Army not only gives a bed to stay in at the shelter (when it is not full), but they also try to address other needs of the homeless. They may give the guest a meal, referrals to transitional housing, some clothing from the thrift store, or a sleeping bag when they leave the shelter. But of course, while there, the client can access information on other regional social services in Montgomery County Virginia. Or find other transitional housing sites for the homeless.
This then leads into the classes and workshops that are focused on helping people break the cycle of poverty, homelessness, and underemployment. The Salvation Army of Christiansburg works to solve these needs of the less fortunate.
Some residents think that the Salvation Army is just a faith based worship group. However this is not the case. They help people of all grounds by offering the emergency assistance above, but more importantly, case management. They also operate a church. The staff can be a resource for people to use to learn about programs that can help them gain stability. Everything from employment to financial literacy, applications to public aid, and more may be arranged.
Angel Tree ramps up year round. New toys are collected during the summer and fall months from individuals and businesses in the Christiansburg community. Then during September to December, individuals that donate to the Angel Tree pick out the tags for children that they want to give gifts too. There may be clothing, games, and other Christmas presents.
They also take part in Toys for Tots or other seasonal services. These generally assist the parent or caregiver of homes with kids under the age of 16, and they can be given free Christmas presents for their child. Donors to the Christiansburg Salvation Army Angel Tree include charities, local church groups, agencies, corporations, local hospitals, and individuals among others.
Food programs include the Montgomery County Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, known as God's Kitchen, as well as food pantry. There are dozens of people, including the homeless, children, and elderly, fed each month. There are also specialty services, such as the Mobile Meals program which helps the disabled and elderly as well as Summer Kids Meal service, which feeds children when they do not have free lunches given to them.
The other key service is the free Food Pantry. There are boxes of groceries, fruits, perishable goods, and more. So these are the core items that people need. The use of the pantry allows families to get what they need (for free, so they can prepare their own meals.
For these services, or others, the Salvation Army is based at 760 Roanoke Street, Christiansburg, VA 24073. As noted, appointments are needed in most cases, as the number is 540-394-1037. But some walk-in services can be used, such as the food assistance.
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