© Mark W. Pettigrew
I was downtown in Bellingham yesterday, waiting for the bus home, and I bumped into a couple of people from the Salvation Army. They were handing out bottles of water and granola bars. I accepted both, and they were yummy. But there was a greater benefit associated with seeing them there. It reminded me of how much of a role the arts have played in terms of enabling the Salvation Army to attract the attention of those who might potentially donate money to them, so that they might raise the funds they've used for years for the purpose of helping the needy.
The guy I met yesterday said something like, "Have you heard of us?" I replied by saying that it was pretty impossible to grow up in America without hearing about the Salvation Army. He seemed flattered, but really, I was just stating the facts. The Salvation Army is as much of a cultural institution as the YMCA or the Red Cross, with a lot more spiritual integrity (from what I've seen) than either one of those other institutions.
Some people think of the Salvation Army in relation to that church's bell ringers (usually dressed as Santa Claus) during the holidays. Others think of their brass bands. Very few people think of them as being particularly innovative in terms of the types of art they typically create. But the fact remains that they've been very effective over the years when it comes to fund raising.
For years, a staple of many movies has been scenes in which characters can be seen at the local mission, usually run by the Salvation Army. I like that aspect of the ministry. They seem to have a heart for down and outers who are often neglected by other, more mainstream churches.
I also strongly admire the organization for standing firm with regard to practices such as homosexuality and abortion, even when many other churches and ostensibly Christian organizations (such as the YMCA) have spinelessly capitulated to the latest trends.
To my knowledge the Salvation Army has never been associated with the kinds of scandal which have given such a black eye to the Christian faith overall. What's more, I get the sense whenever I talk with people from that group that most of them genuinely love God. That in itself is a major endorsement.
Also, the Salvation Army is very widely respect in comparison with other relief organizations, and the work done by that organization is vast.
For those reasons and perhaps others as well, I find that when I think of organizations worthy of the support of the Artistic Rescue project, I find that they are very close to the top of my list. I will be making decisions about who to support on a case by case basis, so I can't promise that I will send the proceeds of sales made at this site on every single occasion. But you can be sure that unless things change in some very negative and unanticipated ways, helping the Salvation Army will be a significant part of this fund raising project.
