Listen to this article
How one woman helped The Salvation Army collect over 26,000 pounds of hope
What drives long-time volunteers to give their time to help those in need?
For Deborah Benham, the motivation is deeply personal.
As a two-time cancer survivor, Benham said she believes God kept her alive to do good for her community.
“I’m doing as much as I can because I was given a second chance to live and I better make it count,” she said.
In 2025 alone, her efforts helped collect over 26,000 pounds of donations for The Salvation Army in Mesquite, Nevada—part of a larger mission that’s brought in more than 135,000 pounds since she began.
Growing up in Trenton, New Jersey, Benham said it was her parents who first showed her the importance of generosity during The Salvation Army’s holiday red kettle season.
“My mother always taught me, you help wherever you can, you give what you can afford, and you give from the heart,” she said.
After retiring to Mesquite, she and her husband looked for ways to reconnect with The Salvation Army and make a meaningful impact.
“We found that there were a lot of things at Christmastime for kids, for toys,” Benham said, “We wanted to do something different.”
Their efforts became focused on addressing food insecurity, an issue affecting many across Southern Nevada. A 2024 study found that one in seven residents in the region face food insecurity, including 22 percent of children living in food-insecure households.
Seniors, Benham noted, are also feeling the strain as the cost of living continues to rise. “The prices have gone up and the needs have increased,” she added.
In response, Benham launched the Parade of Lights in 2015, a holiday event combining a community-driven parade with a food drive benefiting The Salvation Army.
The parade is free and open to the public, with one simple request: attendees are encouraged to bring canned goods or nonperishable items to donate.
“I tell people, ‘I can’t afford to personally feed all these people, but I can give my time,’” she said. “This is my way of giving back.”
What began with around 1,000 pounds of donations in its first year has grown steadily. By 2023, the year the Parade of Lights became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the total climbed to 18,427 pounds. The upward trend continued, culminating in the record-breaking 26,596 pounds collected in 2025.
“I tell people, ‘I can’t afford to personally feed all these people, but I can give my time.’ This is my way of giving back.”
Deborah Benham
Behind those numbers is a year-round commitment where Benham organizes donation drop boxes at businesses, sorts and weighs donations weekly, checks and labels expiration dates, and prepares everything for distribution at the Mesquite Salvation Army food pantry and family resource center.
“She’s very determined,” said Mesquite Salvation Army Service Center Coordinator Anthony Rivera. “Every year she sets a goal, and somehow she reaches it.”
In the two years Rivera has been at the helm in Mesquite, he has seen the parade evolve from a small gathering into a large community effort, making giving both accessible and meaningful.
Along with donated goods, individuals and businesses contribute funds that Benham uses to purchase high-need items identified by Salvation Army staff, like Rivera. Recently, when cereal was in short supply, Benham stepped in and purchased more than 600 boxes.
When it comes to shopping, she said she approaches each trip strategically, searching for the best deals to stretch every dollar. “I’ll do whatever it takes because it’s something I so firmly believe in,” she said.
Her efforts also extend to hygiene and personal care items, which she said are often overlooked but just as necessary. “If people can’t afford food, they can’t afford the other things either,” she said.
At 72, Benham jokes she’s “not a spring chicken,” but her energy and dedication tell a different story. In the early years, when storage space was limited, she even kept donations in her own garage, explaining, “You do what you have to do.”
Today, her work is supported by a growing network. The City of Mesquite provided her with a storage space, The Salvation Army gave her a scale for weighing items, and volunteers—including local police officers—assist with transporting donations.
“The community here is very giving,” Rivera said, noting the donations are put to immediate use. The Salvation Army facility operates daily, offering food boxes, a kitchen where individuals and families can prepare meals, and a range of additional services.
“Everything she collects directly comes to help,” Rivera added.
For Benham, seeing those donations put to use is the most meaningful reward. When asked why she continues to dedicate so much of her time, her answer is simple: “Because it’s the right thing to do and it brings happiness to people.”
Through her continued efforts, Benham has helped transform small, individual acts of giving into tens of thousands of pounds of hope for her community.
Do Good:
- The Salvation Army exists to meet human need wherever, whenever and however we can. See more here.
