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Murmansk TV station features segment on recycling and rehabilitation program
Public awareness of The Salvation Army’s ministry in Russia received a boost through a report on Arctic TV, a television channel based in Murmansk, in a news item highlighting the work of SPAtex. The used clothing operation is operated by the Russia Command along similar lines and in consultation with the well-established Fretex rehabilitation and recycling program run by The Salvation Army in Norway.
SPAtex raises funds for Salvation Army programs while also providing employment and rehabilitation opportunities, particularly for disabled people, through relationships with government labor departments. The first two SPAtex facilities were opened in Murmansk and St. Petersburg but there is a vision to expand across Russia.
The Arctic TV report tells viewers that The Salvation Army is a Christian organization actively involved in the life of the community. It explains that a building to process clothing through SPAtex was purchased in Murmansk and encourages viewers to give generously through the collection containers.
Two containers on the grounds of the Radisson Park Inn Hotel have already been filled with quality clothing, and a further eight containers are ready to be distributed throughout the city.
Arctic TV reports that The Salvation Army is working with people experiencing homelessness, underprivileged families with children, and people with disabilities. Murmansk Corps Officer Captain Andrei Slashev and Zhana Makarova, a representative from the Labour Office in Murmansk, were both interviewed and explained how SPAtex works. Zhana will be working closely with The Salvation Army to place people in the rehabilitation program that is an integral part of the SPAtex set-up.
“We extend our thanks once again to International Headquarters and especially to our friends in Norway who have helped this project come into reality,” said Major Glenn Price, general secretary of the Russia Command. “We are very excited about the possibilities this can bring.”
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