Just want to clear up some of the facts

Letter to the Editor,
I just wanted to clear up some facts that you noted in the Salvation Army article that appeared in the Record last week.
The Salvation Army did not “decide to end its relationship” with our staff and opt to move things to the NWHU because of our reduced hours.
In fact, we notified the Salvation Army last year, we would not be able to help with the applications as it interfered with all of the new service deliveries our office has taken over (driver and vehicle, health cards, etc) in the past couple of years.
The hamper program relies on the volunteers in the community. It was never “Service Ontario” that handled the applications, it was the employees who volunteered to help with the completion of them and forward them to the Salvation Army.
For many years, the RR Legion had volunteers who went to Fort Frances to pick the hampers up and help with distribution. In recent years, members of the community have stepped up to the plate to do so, many being hamper recipients themselves.
The NWHU handled applications last year as well. I’m not sure who arranged pick up, but the Legion acted as the distribution centre the day of delivery.

–Georgia Kreger,
Rainy River