Urgent call for clothing donations after fire sparks at Salvation Army warehouse in Pittsburgh
A group known for lending a hand in times of crisis is now dealing with its own crisis, putting out an urgent call for clothing donations.
The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania estimates upwards of 60,000 pounds of donated clothes and shoes need to be thrown away after a trash compactor caught fire at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center on Pittsburgh's South Side Thursday afternoon.
Firefighters worked for about three hours to put it out, and no one was hurt.
"This whole place was so full of smoke, it was so thick, you couldn't see in front of you. It was so bad," said Maj. Mark Unruh, administrator of the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center of Pittsburgh.
"We've had fans running, but the odor is still here. And the problem is with clothing, it soaks into the clothing and it's hard to get it out," he added.
Unruh said that puts them in a serious jam at the adult rehab center.
"We have a 65-bed unit that houses. It's a long-term program for guys to come in that need our help. It's free for those that need it, and this is the way we raise the funds to keep the program open. This is a warehouse where donations come in. They're stored here, and they're processed upstairs. Then we send them to thrift stores for sale. That's how we raise the money to fund the program," he said.
Huge bales and large bags full of new and gently used clothing pay the bills, and everything that goes into operating the place. Unruh said the average bag of donated items supplies 17 to 24 meals for the guys in the program.
Unruh is hoping they'll be able to salvage some of it, but it'll take a while to figure out.
"A lot of cleaning up to do," he said.
He said it's upsetting. The Salvation Army is coming off the slow winter season and has just started picking back up. Now, all its hard work is going up in smoke.
Donations are needed to catch up.
"I need help. I need clothing and shoes," Unruh said.
"We're going to have to rely on people helping us out. It is spring cleaning. Hopefully, people will see this, and they'll go through their closets and see what they have that they don't need anymore," he said.
If you'd like to donate clothes or shoes, bring the items to the warehouse at 44 S. 9th St. on the South Side or any Salvation Army thrift store. You can visit its website to find a drop-off location near you.
