222: When food is just the beginning with Jenny Hartung

03/10/25 • 34 min

We’re back again today with our Warm Hearts, Warm Homes series, and this time, exploring how food assistance helps create warm, stable homes for our neighbors in need.

Food insecurity is a big problem in the United States, as 47 million people—including 14 million children—do not have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Beyond that figure, many more people—estimated in the millions by Feeding America—do not meet the government's definition of food insecure but still turn to the charitable sector for support.

And in Gillette, Wyoming, that includes The Salvation Army.

Jenny Hartung, who leads The Salvation Army's Service Extension Unit in Gillette, has witnessed the evolution of need and Salvation Army assistance over the past decade. What started as a single shelf of emergency food has grown into a 15,000-square-foot facility that's warming both hearts and homes through food assistance, social services, and soon, a bridge housing program for women.

Today, Jenny is here to share how The Salvation Army in this small town of some 30,000 people is making a big impact—distributing over 2,000 food boxes every month and showing us all what's possible when a community comes together to care for its neighbors.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

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DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

We’re back again today with our Warm Hearts, Warm Homes series, and this time, exploring how food assistance helps create warm, stable homes for our neighbors in need.

Food insecurity is a big problem in the United States, as 47 million people—including 14 million children—do not have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Beyond that figure, many more people—estimated in the millions by Feeding America—do not meet the government's definition of food insecure but still turn to the charitable sector for support.

And in Gillette, Wyoming, that includes The Salvation Army.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series.

JOIN THE HOPEFULS. Get inside the group.

WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Previous Episode

221: Keeping the heat on with Captain Jon Tollerud

Continuing our Warm Hearts, Warm Homes series, today we're tackling a challenge that affects countless families during these coldest weeks of the year—keeping the heat on. For many of our neighbors, the choice between staying warm and affording other essentials is a harsh reality.

Did you know roughly 11 percent of Americans live in poverty, which is about 36.8 million people, according to the Census Bureau? Many more still find the cost of managing daily life difficult.

The Salvation Army is active in every zip code in America to feed, shelter, assist and equip those in need. And one of those approaches is assistance with rent, utilities and other vital payments.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, where winter temperatures can plummet well below zero, The Salvation Army is working to ensure no one has to choose between staying in their home and keeping their heat on.

Captain Jon Tollerud, the corps officer or pastor of The Salvation Army in Fairbanks, is here today to share how their utility assistance program is warming homes and hearts, offering not just immediate relief, but long-term solutions for families in need.

And stick around to the end to hear this week’s challenge for you.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series.

JOIN THE HOPEFULS. Get inside the group.

WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Next Episode

223: Sheltering hope in The Salvation Army

Today, we're closing our Warm Hearts, Warm Homes series with perhaps the most critical need of all: shelter.

Recent government data shows homelessness has soared to the highest level on record, with more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States—an 18 percent increase over last year.

Behind these sobering statistics are real people seeking safety, warmth and a path forward. And The Salvation Army is responding in communities across the West, providing over 3.8 million nights of lodging last year alone.

In our final episode of this series, we're exploring how The Salvation Army's sheltering programs serve as more than just a roof overhead—they're often the first step toward rebuilding lives.

From emergency overnight shelters in Portland to Santa Monica's Hope Team meeting people where they are on the streets, to warming centers in Pocatello during brutal winter temperatures, these programs are designed not just to provide immediate safety but to create pathways to permanent housing and healing.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series.

JOIN THE HOPEFULS. Get inside the group.

WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.