Moody Grant Recipient: Salvation Army in Midland

The Salvation Army in Midland started in 1956 as a shelter. Over the years, we have evolved and now provide over ten different services to help our neighbors in need. We are now serving both Midland and Odessa -serving over 300 families and 700 individuals a month.  We not only have the shelter that house our homeless in Midland, but we also feed three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to not just our shelter clients but to anyone in our community who may need a meal.  This includes a food pantry and utility assistance for our neighbors who are struggling to pay their bills and might need a little extra support during difficult times. Our shelter offers temporary shelter for families and individuals, and we also have an emergency shelter for longer stays, and we offer restoration and rehousing services for those in need.

The Salvation Army in Midland started in 1956 as a shelter. Over the years, we have evolved and now provide over ten different services to help our neighbors in need. We are now serving both Midland and Odessa -serving over 300 families and 700 individuals a month. 

We not only have the shelter that house our homeless in Midland, but we also feed three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to not just our shelter clients but to anyone in our community who may need a meal.  This includes a food pantry and utility assistance for our neighbors who are struggling to pay their bills and might need a little extra support during difficult times. Our shelter offers temporary shelter for families and individuals, and we also have an emergency shelter for longer stays, and we offer restoration and rehousing services for those in need. Additionally, our ID Program includes paperwork and administrative support, including helping clients to obtain their social security cards, birth certificates, and/or IDs. We help with both the paperwork and pay for the birth certificate and/or ID as well as paperwork for the social security card.

There are several seasonal programs that we provide each year, including a summer fan program, Thanksgiving food cards, Angel Tree during Christmas, and our back-to-school shoe program.

Tell us more about your relationship with the Moody Foundation.

We are grateful to the Moody Foundation for supporting the back-to-school shoe program for both 2024 and 2025, along with the support of the Abell-Hanger Foundation and the Odessa American.

Tell us about your back-to-school program, back to school shoes. How was this need identified and how is your agency working to make a difference in that area?

The back-to-school shoe program was initiated after we noticed more and more parents calling to see if we could provide shoes for their children to start school with. Over 20 years ago we partnered with Shoe Carnival and various sponsors to allow the children to shop for a new pair of shoes before the beginning of the school year.  This year, we provided 1,000 children with a new pair of shoes to kids in Midland and Odessa.

Returning to school following summer break is an important moment for kids of all ages, and we’re thrilled to provide new shoes for the families in our community with the help of partners like the Moody Foundation, the Abell-Hanger Foundation and the Odessa American.

Upcoming events or key milestones we should highlight?

We are soon to launch our holiday services including food cards for neighbors to purchase food for their Thanksgiving meals, and the Angel Tree program which will also start in November., which supports families in need over Christmas. The Friday after Thanksgiving will be the start of our bell ringing at the Red Kettles.

For those who want to volunteer or donate, please visit salvationarmymidland.org. for Midland or salvationarmyodessa.org for Odessa.