Fresh Coat of Paint for a Fresh Start

The Salvation Army Norristown Family Residence recently got a new look thanks to a local painting company.

LPPD and Eagleville Elementary Students Support Lt. Patty Simons Food Drive

Lower Providence Police Department invited the students to help collect non-perishable food items for the 17th-annual Lt. Patty Simons Law Enforcement Food Drive.

In the main hallway of Eagleville Elementary School, next to a Mickey Mouse themed Christmas Tree, stood three large, open-ended boxes, overflowing with non-perishable food. The school had decorated the boxes with festive holiday colors. The front of each box was affixed with a sign that explained the food was for the 17th-annual Lt. Patty Simons Law Enforcement Food Drive of the Salvation Army. Judi Schmitz, Eagleville Elementary School counselor, who was credited with spearheading the food drive effort at the school, couldn’t tell for certain how much food was collected, as no official count was made. “But, it’s heavy,” she said with a smile. According to Schmitz, the food drive at Eagleville started when the students returned from …

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Roosevelt Student's Senior Project Honors Breast Cancer Victim's Memory

Alan Fraelich is collecting hat, scarves, gloves and mittens for the Salvation Army in honor of a neighbor who died last year of breast cancer.

The Times Herald recently profiled Roosevelt Alternative School senior Alan Fraelich, whose senior project is dedicated to the memory of his neighbor – a woman he referred to affectionately as "mom" – who died of breast cancer last year.  Fraelich created a "mitten tree" to encourage his fellow students to donate hats, scarves, gloves and mittens that he would then take to the Salvation Army – an organization that Fraelich says helped his neighbor's nine children when they needed help most. "Everybody who lived on the street we lived on, we all looked at her as a mom," Fraelich told the Herald. "We all called her mom. She had nine children of her own that all lived with her and she had to take care of by herself." School administrators …

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Elizabeth Stamm is Helping the Homeless Get Back on Their Feet

Stamm overseas temporary housing at the Salvation Army's Family Residence. Read this article and find out how you can help.

Every day Elizabeth Stamm rides an elevator to her office, and as the doors open she is greeted by children hugging her knees, asking to be picked up or vying for her attention. For maybe only a few weeks of their entire lives these children will know Stamm, but for those few weeks she is one of the people who help give them what they don’t have — a home. As Emergency Housing Director at the Salvation Army’s Norristown Family Residence, Stamm oversees the temporary housing of seven families at one time. The 6-week program (which can be extended as long as three months) offers families with children an opportunity to live in a safe place while parents improve their job-seeking, parenting and life skills. Eighty percent of the adults are …

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Local Law Enforcement Food Drive in the Final Stretch

Collection efforts for the 16th annual Lt. Patty Simon Food Drive ends on Wednesday Dec. 21

The Salvation Army has been partnering with local law enforcement agencies, businesses and individuals for the 16th annual Lt. Patty Simon Food Drive this holiday. Named for the active and vocal officer who originally formed the drive, the annual event is designed to honor Simon's legacy while providing for a “cause that was dear to her heart,” according to GNPAL Director Brett Wells. Weeks ago, collection bins were placed throughout the area and new toy drop offs are being collected at Greater Norristown PAL Center. The last day for collection is Tuesday, Dec. 20. On Wednesday, Dec. 21, a caravan of police vehicles will lead a flatbed trailer full of food through Norristown to the Salvation Army where it will be unloaded. There's still …

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Skanska USA Donates Food to Salvation Army

The construction company’s Greater Philadelphia office donated food to the Salvation Army in Norristown just in time for Thanksgiving.

Employees in Skanska USA’s Greater Philadelphia office recently held their annual food drive and donated the food to the Salvation Army in Norristown. The group also held a pot luck lunch to raise money for the cause. Employees delivered the food on Friday, Nov. 18,  just in time for Thanksgiving. The volunteers brought two hams, three turkeys, and hundreds of additional food items to the Salvation Army.  Skanska’s Greater Philadelphia office, participates in various altruistic organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, PhilAbundance, Ronald McDonald House and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

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Main Street on lockdown after underground explosion

A possible build-up of carbon monoxide may be responsible for a series of explosions in Norristown

The area around Main and Barbados streets was cordoned off for several blocks in every direction today after a 911 call by a Salvation Army Thrift Store employee at 2:33 p.m. reporting an odor of smoke brought police and fire departments to the scene to investigate. According to Norristown Fire Chief Tom O'Donnell, firemen detected high levels of carbon monoxide in the building along with smoke. Measures were immediately taken to evacuate the building and the surrounding businesses and cordon off the area. A series of underground explosions nearly an hour later caused fire and police officials to push the cordon back several blocks. No one was injured during the incident, but the front of the thrift store and another building were damaged…

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