The Salvation Army works to promote the Christian religion through charitable works, but sometimes that means calling on the community for support.

Currently the Salvation Army in Vicksburg needs donations for the soccer camp planned for June 1–5 for inner city children, Corps Officer Captain Srikant Bhatnagar said.

“We do the free summer camp from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day,” he said. “From 8 a.m. to noon we do the soccer, from noon to 1 p.m. we have lunch and from 1–4 p.m. we do vacation bible school.”

Bhatnagar said the Salvation Army is focused on the mind, body and soul.

“We keep the mind sharp with the Bible study, we get the physical workout in with the soccer, and we work on nutrition by feeding them lunch,” he said.

Bhatnagar said 80–90 percent of the children who attend the camp walk from nearby areas such as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard because often those who attend are underprivileged and their parents don’t have a way to provide transportation for them to and from the camp.

“The goal is to use the soccer camp to keep the kids out of the street,” he said.

The camp also provides extra food for the children to take home, since they may not have enough during the summer, Bhatnagar said.

“We do this so they can really enjoy one week of summer,” he said.

As far as donations go, Bhatnagar said they will accept anything they can use, whether it be money, food, towels, socks or anything else.

Bhatnagar said from equipment and food to towels and socks, they can use a lot of different items.

“A lot of children don’t have food or clothes,” he said.

Bhatnagar said the Salvation Army will accept any monetary amount and there are five tiered sponsorship levels: Platinum Sponsorship, $1,000; Gold Sponsorship, $500; Silver Sponsorship, $250; Honorary Sponsorship, $100; and Appreciation Sponsorship, $50.

“Money is always a need,” he said. “We need more so we can provide more programs for the children.”

The camp is free for children ages 6–12, but it is limited to the first 70 who sign up.

Those interested they can register at the Salvation Army, which is located at 530 Mission 66 or they can call 601-636-2706.