(Jon Jaehnig/For the Gazette) Brenda DeLacy (pictured) and Brian Foreman have taken up the positions of Corps Administrator and Community Engagement Specialist at the Salvation Army in Hancock.

HANCOCK — The Salvation Army in Hancock provides important services to our community. It has operated as a meeting place and a food pantry, but a limited staff has meant limited community outreach and involvement.

However, with two new staff members, the Salvation Army in Hancock is working to expand their services. Brenda DeLacy is the new Corps Administrator and Brian Foreman is the new Community Engagement Specialist.

DeLacy is a former school principal but has been involved with the Salvation Army for over thirty years. As the Corps Administrator, she will oversee operations that the Salvation Army carries out in Hancock, and will also serve as the pastor of the Salvation Army church.

“I’m very familiar with the Salvation Army. It’s been my church all of my life. They needed someone to come here and I said yes,” DeLacy said. “When I came, they had already hired Brian.”

Foreman has worked with area families and children in a number of capacities over the years, and teaches psychology at the college level.

“I was looking to relocate to the area and this was something that I hadn’t thought about initially,” said Foreman. “But, I thought it fit my twenty-five-plus years of experience working with children.”

Right now, the Hancock Salvation Army hosts after school youth groups, and a women’s ministry and a weekly worship service. The new staffers are also looking at launching a music program and revamping the food pantry.

“We’re starting from the ground up,” said DeLacy. “We’re really, truly, rebuilding our connections with the community, and that is our active goal.”

Members will have the opportunity to meet the new staffers, hear about their ideas, pitch their own ideas, and tour the 408 Ravine St. facility at an open house on Sept. 26 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The open house will also be an opportunity for the Salvation Army to reach out to potential volunteers to help staff some of the new programs.

“Right now, one of our biggest obstacles is the fact that we need manpower. We need volunteers,” said DeLacy.

“A big part of that too, is recognizing that we have a church here,” Foreman added. “We want to make a congregation of people receiving services but also giving back.”

The Salvation Army in Hancock is also looking for input from the community on what services community members feel are needed.

“Everything that’s being done here is done at Salvation Armies across the country,” said DeLacy. “It’s not reinventing the wheel, it’s just spinning it a little faster.”

For more information, visit the Salvation Army building in Hancock, located at 408 Ravine Street, or call (906) 482-3420.

Editor’s note: Jon Jaehnig is Brian Foreman’s son-in-law.