The Salvation Army Helps Sponsor Christmas Party for Military Families

Santa, live reindeer, face painting, balloons – it certainly was a Sunday to remember Dec. 20 for military families and veterans who attended a Christmas party organized by local mortgage company VALoansMN.com. (View photos.)

Staff and volunteers from The Salvation Army joined the party at the Rosemount National Guard Armory to serve soup, bread and dessert to hundreds of attendees.

Event organizer Joan Rusco called the help a huge blessing. She began planning the gathering only a month beforehand, not knowing how she’d pull it off.

“I called The Salvation Army and they said, ‘You need some food? We have some people who can help out,’” said Rusco, owner of VALoans.com, which provides mortgages to veterans and military families. “The Salvation Army was so generous and so helpful.”

In addition to providing volunteers to cook cauldrons of soup from Culver's, The Salvation Army served pie and coffee courtesy of Baker’s Square and Starbucks, respectively.

“I love this – it’s very fun,” said partygoer Natalie Tente, whose husband, Jack, has been in Iraq since Easter. She juggles caring for their daughter, Kourtney, 7, with working nights at Dakota County Technical College. “Everyone here is so friendly. I have met a lot of really nice people.” 

Rusco organized the event as a way to thank her clients for their business, and for their service to the red, white and blue. 

“Some of the families were so happy about this event they had tears in their eyes,” she said.    

“The Salvation Army is proud to support the men, women and families who sacrifice themselves for the good of this country,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Sjogren, commander of The Salvation Army Northern Division, who was at the party serving chicken noodle and wild rice soups.