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In Puerto Rico, over 1.2 million survivors' needs met by The Salvation Army

In one of the worst hurricane seasons in a decade, The Salvation Army is unwavering in its continued service to those affected by the storms. With a long-term presence in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Salvation Army was positioned to serve over 1.2 million individuals since Hurricane Maria made landfall.

Next week, The Salvation Army will meet FEMA's request to serve approximately 100,000 meals daily to Hurricane Maria and Irma survivors, through 16 fixed and 9 mobile kitchen sites.

"Our deeper collaboration with FEMA and other strategic disaster partners has allowed The Salvation Army to secure additional resources to help the Hurricane survivor," said Michael Orfitelli, Territorial Coordinator of Emergency Disaster Services. "The Salvation Army looks forward to meeting FEMA's request, and continuing to help our communities move toward recovery."

Some key updates for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands are (as of Oct. 3):

In Puerto Rico:

• The Salvation Army has served over 1.2 million individuals since Hurricane Maria hit landfall. This is over a third of the population in Puerto Rico.

• The Salvation Army has a valuable presence in San Juan, Loíza, Fajardo, Humacao, Guayama, Ponce, Arecibo, Mayagüez, Bayamon, Peñuelas, and Caguas, serving meals, water, additional resources, and emotional/spiritual care.

• In total, over 685,000 meals, drinks, and snacks have been distributed to those in need since the impact of Hurricane Maria.

In St. Thomas:

• On Sept. 30, The Salvation Army received four massive containers with 1,800 boxes of meals for distribution. This will serve 21,612 meals to over 7,200 local survivors in need.

• In partnership with My Brother's Workshop, The Salvation Army has served nearly 18,000 lunches since Hurricane Irma.

• The Salvation Army has distributed over 8,700 articles of clothing to individuals and families in need affected by Hurricane Maria.

With a permanent footprint in the affected communities, The Salvation Army Disaster Services will continue to provide assistance until the need is met and beyond.

Response efforts to this hurricane and flooding are expected be costly and last for years. The best way to help after a disaster is to make a financial donation.

To help, go online at helpsalvationarmy.org, call (800) SAL-ARMY, text to STORM to 51555. Or mail checks, made out to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301; please designate "Hurricane 2017" on all checks.

The Salvation Army is positioned to serve those impacted by the storm, however long it takes, because they are there before, during, and after impact. Beyond serving immediate physical needs, they also meet the emotional and spiritual needs that are unique to catastrophic events.

The Salvation Army delivers disaster relief to an average of 382,000 people annually; serves every ZIP code in the United States and touches almost 25 million lives a year; has served survivors of every major national disaster since 1900; and remains in communities until needs are met and beyond.

The Salvation Army, established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need without discrimination for more than 135 years in the U.S. More than 25 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services: food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. The Salvation Army tracks the level of need across the country with the Human Needs Index (HumanNeedsIndex.org). The Salvation Army has served survivors of every major national disaster since 1900. The Salvation Army does not place an administrative fee on disaster donations. During emergency disasters, 100 percent of designated gifts are used to support specific relief efforts. For more information, go to SalvationArmyUSA.org or follow on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS.

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