ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – In honor of Juneteenth, the Salvation Army in Roanoke hosted a celebration to bring together the community.
“We’re just celebrating people from all walks of life coming together to share a meal, share moments, have some fun play some games, and get connected with resources in the community,” said Social Services Manager Jaimiee Goodman. “I want to do something that’s going to bring like the community together for us to just like everybody come together, put our differences aside for one day, and just celebrate our differences.”
Juneteenth is a day when freedom finally came in 1865 to enslaved African Americans in Texas, 2 1/2 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Goodman said this holiday encourages people to uplift one another and for her, that means helping people access life-saving resources.
“We have mental health services in here that people can connect with like you being able to connect with food resources and understanding like what the Salvation Army can offer when it comes to like food insecurity and food and things like that,” said Goodman.
She said they were able to serve over 150 hot meal plates.
“Times are hard for people. So simply, you know, getting a hot meal is kind of hard. So it kind of encompasses all of that, and, you know, fellowshipping, embracing being different,” added Goodman.
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Check out was real simple, can't wait for the tote bag