The Salvation Army Service Center in Troy is looking for a few good men and women to join its Disaster Response Team.

After attending the Salvation Army’s directors’ meeting in Jackson, Miss., and touring the Disaster Center there, Kim May, director of the Salvation Army in Troy, said having a Disaster Response Team in place would be invaluable in the event of a disaster.

“We were hard hit by Hurricane Opal 15 years ago and Ivan did a lot of damage in 2004,” May said. “We have also had tornado damage so we know that things like that can happen here. We need to be prepared and organizing a Disaster Response Team is a big part of being prepared.”

The Disaster Response Team will be made up of about six individuals who would assist the Salvation Army during a disaster.

“The employees at the Service Center would be available to help if there was not a need to keep the Thrift Store open,” May said. “But, if people are needing the services that the store provides, the employees would have to be available so we would need volunteers to go out into the field.”

Those who volunteer for the Disaster Response Team will receive training and will make valuable contributions to the community as members of a preparedness team.

The primary function of the Salvation Army is to provide services to utility and law enforcement personnel and fire fighters who are responding to a disaster, as well as survivors, through its Canteen and mobile feeding stations.

These Canteens are similar to snack wagons but the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services program also has large kitchen trucks that are capable of feeding up to 40,000 people a day.

“The Salvation Army stands ready to help during any disaster and we want to be prepared here in Pike County to do all we can if disaster strikes,” May said. “And, we need six volunteers who are willing to come in and help during a disaster.”

Anyone who is interested in joining the Salvation Army Disaster Response Team in Troy or just wants to know more is asked to visit the Salvation Army Service Center and Thrift Store at 509 South Brundidge Street in Troy or call 808-1069.

In an effort to meet the needs of the community, the local Salvation Army is selling the famous Carter Sanders’ camp stew at $10 a quart. The stew will be available for pickup from noon until 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Salvation Army Service Center.

Orders may be placed at the Service Center on South Brundidge Street.