Salvation Army in New Jersey Receives $10,000 Verizon Foundation Grant to Support Storm-Relief Efforts

The Salvation Army's New Jersey state headquarters has received a $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to support  the relief organization's efforts to assist people impacted by the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in Paterson and the surrounding area.

The grant will help fund the critical relief services the Salvation Army is providing locally and will enable it to assist between 50 and 75 families impacted by the storm.

"The Salvation Army appreciates the support from our corporate partner Verizon," said Brenda Beavers, state director of human resources for The Salvation Army New Jersey Division.  "While the waters have receded and the weeks have passed, many families are dealing with unmet needs.  This grant from Verizon will help us to address these long-term recovery issues."

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, Paterson and other communities across New Jersey experienced near historic flooding and storm damage.  The Salvation Army of New Jersey established an emergency response center to maintain ongoing contact with other nonprofits and Salvation Army units working throughout the state in relief and recovery efforts.  The Salvation Army also set up a mobile command center in Holmdel that was equipped with satellite television service providing weather and news channels. In addition, Verizon Wireless set up a wireless hot spot in the command center and provided equipment to charge laptops and mobile phones.

"Whenever there is a large-scale disaster or crisis, the Salvation Army is always one of the first to respond, and this grant helps to support the Salvation Army's mission of service to those in need," said Douglas W. Schoenberger, vice president of corporate responsibility of Verizon New Jersey.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon, uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 107 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $106.6 billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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