More people are asking for help from the Salvation Army in Nashville. Those requests are not only coming from the homeless, but those on the edge of not making ends meet.
Every Friday night, for the last six years, the Salvation Army has set up a mobile soup kitchen under the Jefferson Street Bridge in downtown Nashville.
A couple years ago, there were nights where crowds were sparse. This year, up to 200 people have consistently showed. Mike Servais with the Salvation Army says a lot of the people aren’t homeless, but teetering on the edge.
“What’s been added on are the working poor who they are at a point in their lives where they’re not able to scratch through on a week to week basis. They’re failing at that effort.”
Servais says a year and a half ago the Salvation Army was getting about 400 requests per month for help with rent, bills, and food. It’s now five times that. He says they’re receiving 2,000 requests per month. The agency is stretching its budget to try help more with the same amount of money.
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