ARNOLD, Mo. — A double layer of plastic wrap separates the usable and unusable space at the Salvation Army in Jefferson County. Zipping open both layers and stepping through, the smell of smoke is obvious.
Flames erupted from a fridge in the food pantry last week. Smoke damage resulted in most items being thrown away. "We had hot hands. We had wool socks. We had gloves. We had ponchos," James II Project Founder Karin Kostich tells 5 On Your Side.
Kostich's organization operates a hot meal service on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Salvation Army. In addition to warm lunches, she kept a stock of supplies for her regulars. "I was asked by one of our gentlemen if we had any hot hands," Kostich said. "We had blessing bags, but they were in the back hallway and we lost all of them."
Warm clothing and blankets are what the Salvation Army and James II Project needs most, especially ahead of the cold weather.
Two trailers now house the shelf-stable donations. Swinging open the doors, Salvation Army Director Larry Hostetler pointed out stacks of donations: "We have canned goods, thousands of canned goods at the front end."
Thanks to an abundance of food donations, Hostetler says the Christmas meal giveaway is on schedule for Dec. 13.
Christmas toys had to be thrown out due to smoke damage. Hostetler said Walmart has stepped up to replace all the toys lost in the fire.