Supply shortage means fewer Raleigh families served by Salvation Army

Salvation Army Major Stephen Long makes the rounds at the Center for Hope on Capital Boulevard every morning.

Long and his wife, Connie, became the new commanders for the Wake County chapter of the Salvation Army last month and while the Raleigh economy is in better shape than many areas, the Longs said a lot of people are hurting.

“There’s a lot of need, no matter where you go. Jesus said ‘the poor, you will have with you always’,’ Long said.

Stephen Long said what stands out most in the center’s food pantry is what’s missing from the shelves.

“It really hurts the heart to see it this way,” he said.

The Salvation Army typically helps about 50 families per week with extra groceries, but the shelves in the food pantry are so bare, they’ve had to cut that number to 30 families per week. Stephen Long is now pleading for help from the community.

“Today, they can bring a bag of food over and it’ll help us with one family. They can bring 10 bags of food over and it will help us with 10 families,” he said.

The center also houses a 90-bed women and children’s shelter with its own set of needs.

‘[We’re] constantly needing towels, sheets, clothing for them,” Connie Long said.

“Not just putting a Band-Aid over a sore, but helping to bring healing,” Stephen Long said.