Salvation Army signups for holiday assistance this week in Washtenaw County

For anyone in the county in need of holiday assistance, The Salvation Army of Washtenaw County is accepting requests from Tuesday, Oct. 23 through Thursday, Oct. 25. There will be a number of signup sessions at both the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Corps community centers.

Last year, the organization received 623 requests for assistance from families, singles and seniors in Washtenaw County, and that number is expected to rise this year to 650 requests, said Daniel Stocking, who works for Franco Public Relations Group, which represents The Salvation Army of Washtenaw County.

The holiday assistance program offers gift cards for Meijer stores that, Stocking says, "must be used to purchase foods and household items. The cards cannot be used to purchase alcohol or tobacco products."

"We want to help ease our neighbors' worries about having a good meal to eat and presents for their children this holiday season," said Major John Williams, coordinator for The Salvation Army of Washtenaw County. "We hope our Christmas assistance program helps alleviate additional pressures that coincide with the holiday season, so that our neighbors in need can focus on spending the holidays together."

In 2011, Ann Arbor's poverty rate was nearly 24 percent, and The Salvation Army of Washtenaw County helped provide more than 12,200 meals and 17,300 nights of shelter to people in need.

Stocking says that toys available are donated and aimed at children up to 14 years of age.

The Ann Arbor Corps Community Center is located at 100 Arbana Drive in Ann Arbor and has signups on Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Ypsilanti Corps Community Center is located at 9 South Park St. in Ypsilanti and has signups on Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and Thursday, Oct. 25 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Residents must provide current identification for all household adults, as well as proof of residence and two items to show proof of dependents such as birth certificates or social security cards.

For more information about holiday assistance or about donating to the Salvation Army, call 734-668-8353 or go to the Salvation Army website. Anyone interested in volunteering to be a bell ringer for the organization's holiday fund-raising drive can go to www.registertoring.com/washtenaw to sign up.