Burbank-based Salvation Army corps hold fundraiser luncheon

Brittany Baker became involved with the Salvation Army as a child and benefited from the organization’s services. Now, the new mother is, along with her husband Jeremy, one of the new officers at the Salvation Army in Burbank, which also serves Sunland-Tujunga, Sun Valley and North Hollywood.

A lieutenant with the Christian church and charity, she said she loves her job, which often involves aiding the working poor. Her husband, also a lieutenant, said that since coming to Burbank a few months ago from their previous post in Salem, Ore., the biggest need they’ve found is a hunger for meals among the working poor.

The Bakers, with their 10-month-old son Micah, welcomed 45 guests Thursday as the Burbank Corps marked the start of its annual holiday red-kettle collection season at a fundraiser luncheon.

Rotarians, Kiwanis and representatives of Woodbury University and Family Promise of the Verdugos were on hand for the $25-a-plate event. Funds raised Thursday and throughout the two-month bell-ringing season support the center’s services throughout the year, including an emergency food bank, after-school homework programs and summer camps.

The members of Burbank’s service organizations and business community rang hand bells after dropping bills of various denominations into the iconic red kettles — all bedecked in holiday decor — that served as centerpieces on their tables. Many of those present and the organizations they represent also volunteer as bell ringers during the season.

The bell ringers and their red kettles are part of a Salvation Army holiday tradition that began more than a century ago in San Francisco.

Jeremy Baker said one big misconception is that the money collected goes to the national Salvation Army organization. Instead, the money collected at the luncheon and throughout the holiday season largely stays in the community and more than 80 cents of every dollar goes to support local programs.

The corps raised roughly $59,000 last year through the kettle drive and luncheon, up from about $34,000 the year before. Jeremy Baker said the corps hopes to improve on those numbers this year with a goal of $70,000, but “if we can raise $100,000, we’ll be ecstatic.”

Salvation Army advisory board member Lee Stacy told the audience that because of their efforts, the corps is able to do more for the community.

City Councilman Will Rogers said he saw many of the same people who often give of their time for community projects and events.

“These people make so much time in their lives doing so much for others, not for themselves,” Rogers said. “I just think the whole community should know about them.”

Burbank resident and Salvation Army advisory board member Juan Guillen said the demand in Burbank for the corps’ service is great. The board also needs “people with a passion to serve” with fresh blood and fresh ideas for the community, he said.

Michael Thomas, an eight-year member and former president of the Burbank Noon Rotary, said it was his first time at the luncheon and, while he saw many of the same faces he normally sees at such events, there were some new ones as well.

Thomas, whose Rotary Club volunteers each year to ring bells, said he learned new things about the Salvation Army’s activities in part through a video that included clips of families served by the community center discussing the programs they take part in.

“It was a nice showcase of what Salvation Army is doing for our community that I don’t think our entire community is aware of,” Thomas said of the video.

The corps is focused on serving whole families in order to help them feel that they are part of the community, Jeremy Baker said.

“We really want to grow a stronger community starting with the families,” he said.