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The Salvation Army Adds Vaccines to Christmas Bureau Salvation Army

By Joey Semel

JOEY SEMEL: 25-hundred families often means around 10-thousand people.
The Salvation Army will offer another opportunity this year. Families can get vaccinated against covid 19 while they register for the event. Gina Lazara runs Public Relations for The Salvation Army. She says that Onondaga County jumped at the opportunity to try to get lower income families vaccines.

GINA LAZARA: They were able to say, “if you guys are going to be there and this is a population we haven’t really hit yet that needs to be vaccinated. Let us come to you. We’ll take care of everything, we’ll set it up. We just want to be there at the same time as you.”

SEMEL: She also says the chance to get vaccinated is much needed.

LAZARA: And they’re registering their families for Christmas so they can get food and toys; they can turn around and say “oh look there’s a vaccine clinic there and I haven’t had a chance to get down and do it yet… might as well do it while I’m here.”

SEMEL: Last year, the Covid-19 pandemic forced The Salvation Army to have a drive through version of this event. This year, they’re back and they’re ready to spread the Christmas cheer, but with some precautions in place.

LAZARA: We’re giving people time slots to show up, so they can’t just come whenever on December 15th. We’re gonna give them a time slot, a three hour window, and we’re asking them to please come during that three hour window.

SEMEL: Alexandra Meyer is a librarian. She sees many homeless people come in and out of the library. She says events like the Salvation Army’s are crucial to a population that is often forgotten about.

ALEXANDRA MEYER: The homeless population is definitely an invisible population to a lot of people. So doing very specific outreach like that, especially during Covid, is really important.

SEMEL: If families choose to receive the vaccine during registration, they can receive their second dose on the thirtieth of December at the Civic Center.
Joey Semel, In Syracuse, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — In a normal year, The Salvation Army’s Christmas Bureau helps bring gifts and food to around 2,500 CNY families. That means around 10,000 people, according to Gina Lazara, Public Relations & Special Events Manager at the Salvation Army.

Those families also had a new opportunity this year when registration began on Monday. They could get vaccinated.

The Salvation Army has partnered with Onondaga County to provide free vaccines at the event’s registration.

Lazara said that adding the vaccines is a great opportunity for these families.

“And they’re registering their families for Christmas so they can get food and toys; they can turn around and say ‘oh look there’s a vaccine clinic there and I haven’t had a chance to get down and do it yet,” Lazara said. “Might as well do it while I’m here.”

Lazara also said that the county jumped at the opportunity to join their efforts.

“They were able to say, ‘if you guys are going to be there and this is a population we haven’t really hit yet that needs to be vaccinated,'” Lazara said. “Let us come to you. We’ll take care of everything, we’ll set it up. We just want to be there at the same time as you.”

The event will have some precautions this year, however. After having a drive through version last year, they are trying to limit the size of the crowd by spacing out when people arrive.

“We’re gonna give them a time slot, a three hour window, and we’re asking them to please come during that three hour window,” Lazara said.

Registration for the Christmas Bureau began on Monday and will run through Wednesday.

Those who choose to receive the vaccine can get their second dose on Thursday, December 30 at the Civic Center.

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