Volunteer Spotlight

“The Salvation Army’s work is done through Jesus Christ’s message of love and respect toward everyone they meet,” says Chris Howland, pictured with Mary Howland. “And it represents that message as well as or better than any organization I’ve ever seen.”

Korean War veteran Robert Thomas Harbeck didn’t like to talk about his time in the war, except for one very specific part.

“All the charities that came to help the troops arrived carrying cameras, mics, and spot­lights. That is, except The Salvation Army,” says Mary Howland, Robert’s daughter. “My father said Salvationists came in silence, bringing socks, food, and pen and paper so the soldiers could write notes to loved ones back home, which The Salvation Army would then deliver. That always meant so much to him.”

When Mary and her husband, Chris Howland, successful entrepreneurs, looked to financially support organizations that help others, they approached The Salvation Army first. Upon their retirement in 2018, the Howlands moved from Connecticut to Newport, R.I., and became directly involved as volunteers at The Salvation Army Newport Corps. Chris is also chairperson of The Salvation Army’s Rhode Island advisory board, and Mary is chair of the Newport Corps advisory council.

“Our skills complement each other well,” says Mary. “When he gets the vision, I work to make the program for that vision happen in Newport. Chris is like the general, and I’m the corporal, putting the boots on the ground.”

“Helping here gave us a new purpose,” says Chris. “Right now, one of our biggest goals is to build a stronger, more diverse advisory board. It’s important that our board represents the people who we are serving. Everyone who visits Rhode Island sees the mansions, yachts, and beaches and may think it’s nothing but wealth. But living here gave Mary and me a clear view of the need.”

Rhode Island is home to a large service industry, consisting of mostly Hispanic and immigrant employees who work in housekeeping, restaurants, souvenir stores, and other tourism-related jobs.

“They are underpaid, with few opportunities for advancement, and their work is seasonal,” says Chris. “By the end of October, many employees are out of a job until April. Those are the families that we see at our corps. We’re making sure they aren’t bypassed in help and services.”

When Chris and Mary talk to new volunteers and donors, they mention The Salvation Army’s year-round programs, service centers, and numbers of people who receive help from the Army in Rhode Island every day.

“That’s what we need to do, but on a statewide level. We have to make everyone aware of how the Army positively impacts every corner of Rhode Island,” Chris says.

“During COVID-19,” Mary says, “I remember registering a woman to receive food boxes. She had been a hairdresser since she was old enough to work. There wasn’t a time in her life when she was out of a job, except now. She could not believe that she had to ask for help, but she was so appreciative that no one was questioning why she needed assistance. She was being served with love and dignity.”

“I once talked to an elderly couple who owned a good-sized estate and were familiar with the Army’s work,” says Chris. The husband had worked as a scuba diver at age 15 for a coastal town in the region. His job was to locate the bodies of people who had drowned. One weekend, after finishing an eight-hour shift in the ocean, the diver came out and saw two service trucks from two different organizations. He approached the first one and asked for coffee and a donut. The worker tried to charge him, and of course, the diver had no money on him. But a man from the second truck, a Salvation Army canteen, waved him over and said, “Here’s donuts and coffee for you. God bless you.”

“Sixty-five years later,” says Chris, “the diver still remembers that kindness.”

Moments of kindness, like this or the ones that Robert Harbeck witnessed during the Korean War, are always present within the work of The Salvation Army. It’s why Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) is the Howlands’ passion. Both Chris and Mary are certified to be deployed for emergencies and have taken the Army’s EDS vehicle to funerals of slain police officers, ready to serve the mourners tea and coffee.

“There are communities for whom we’re always their support and steady safety net. But during a crisis, you see unique, un­­expected needs and opportunities to serve,” says Mary. “It’s in those moments when the mission of The Salvation Army shines the brightest.”