Group Donates $100,000 for Salvation Army Shelter

A $100,000 grant--the largest ever given by the Glendale Community Foundation--has been awarded to the Salvation Army toward purchase of the first shelter for homeless families in Glendale.

The 34-year-old nonprofit group last week allocated the grant toward purchase of the Booth House, a private residence at 609 Chester St. that the Salvation Army plans to convert into a temporary shelter for displaced families.

The Glendale City Council last month allocated $200,000 in federal grant money for the Booth House. The Salvation Army will use the foundation grant in paying the balance of the $460,000 purchase price at the close of escrow June 26. The shelter is expected to open in September.

Tom Miller, executive director of the community group, said the foundation typically awards grants of $500 to $10,000 to individual charities and organizations. He said the unusually large grant was made at the request of a member who asked that a portion of his own funds be allocated to the shelter.

Miller said the donor, who asked to remain anonymous, is a longtime trustee of the foundation and also a member of the Salvation Army’s Advisory Board who supports efforts to assist the community’s homeless.

Foundation members can contribute to both unrestricted funds and “donor-advised funds” in which the donor recommends where his or her contributions should be spent. The final award is made by an executive board.

The foundation last week also allocated $5,000 in unrestricted funds to assist in refurbishing the outdoor recreational area at the Salvation Army Day Care Center, $1,496 for desks and chairs for the new Glendale Family Services facility at 410 W. Arden St., $2,100 for a computer to replace typewriters at the Atwater Park Center and $2,500 for computer equipment for Goodwill Industries.