Salvation Army volunteers prepare to travel to hurricane victims

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Oscar Smith is thankful Mobile was spared the brunt of Hurricane Isaac, but his heart is with the victims in Louisiana and that's where he headed Monday.

"It's a good thing that we're doing," Smith said.

It's Smith's biggest emergency mission so far this year. The Salvation Army's assistant kitchen director will spend the next two weeks in Louisiana feeding victims of Hurricane Isaac.

Continuing Coverage: Hurricane Isaac

The call to service wasn’t unexpected.

"They called yesterday and let me know. But they had instructed us earlier in the week that our canteen would be going," he said.

The 18-foot mobile unit is a kitchen on wheels, capable of serving up to 1,000 meals a day.

"It brings pain to my heart to see that people are going through something, but here we come, and we serve them a hot meal, not just sandwiches or something like that. But, something that's going to warm them up in spite of all the loss they've had," Smith explained.

Public Relations Director Katie Emer said the canteen will join 13 others already in Louisiana but this local unit will likely serve some areas no one has been able to reach so far.

"There are a lot of areas in New Orleans and Louisiana where the waters are just starting to recede. So we'll be going into communities that haven't gotten any help yet," Emer explained.

She said we were fortunate to face only a relatively small portion of Hurricane Isaac’s deluge in Mobile. With that in mind, Mobile’s Salvation Army is “pulling all our resources over to Louisiana."

Those resources aren't just a hot meal and something to drink.

"They need supplies, but they also need emotional and spiritual support.  People in New Orleans, they haven't forgotten about Katrina yet, so there's a lot of anxiety when they see similar things happening again. So, the Salvation Army really is there to help in whatever way possible," Emer said.

The Christian-based organization’s members see helping people in need as a given, but Smith says there's another reason he's glad to be able to lend a helping hand.

"It could have been us that's in need," Smith said.

As of Sunday, Sept. 2, the Salvation Army's emergency teams had provided;

• 34,419 Meals;
• 41,977 drinks;
• 26,275 snacks;
• 25 canteens;

and emotional and spiritual care to 890 individuals.

In addition, the Salvation Army is providing clean-up kits, hygiene kits, shower units, first-aid supplies and communication support.

The Salvation Army is asking people who want to help those affected by the 2012 Hurricane Season to:

• Visit www.salvationarmyusa.org
• Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
• Contribute $10 via their phone bill by text messaging the word "storm" to 80888, and  confirming the donation with a "yes".