Each holiday season, the Employee Volunteer Committee coordinates a holiday drive to provide an opportunity to support our local community to our employees. This year, we combined our holiday drive with a holiday volunteer project to benefit the Salvation Army’s Toy and Shop & Family Assistance Program in San Francisco. The Toy and Joy Shop transforms their family service center into Santa’s Workshop for approximately 1,500 low-income families. Each family receives a 33 pound box of food and kids and young adults, from families who might not otherwise be able to afford presents, get the opportunity to select their own Christmas gifts in the “Family Store”. Salvation Army is also one of the only agencies in the city that has a room with gifts geared towards teens.
Hood & Strong employees helped with several different projects for the Salvation Army’s San Francisco Family Service Center in preparation for their Toy and Joy Shop this Holiday Season, including sorting and restocking toys, preparing the Family Store, and creating gift baskets. In addition, we collected a tremendous amount in donations of food, toys, and teen items to benefit the Toy and Joy Shop Program.
The Salvation Army has been serving Northern and Central California since 1883, offering practical support, spiritual comfort, and a critical safety net to people in need. Their centers across the Golden State provide a myriad of services, including youth programs, meal services, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, transitional housing, shelters, nutritional and housing support for seniors, and other critical support services to the less fortunate.
