Carnival raises $5,000 for Salvation Army

The Salvation Army’s Carnegie Service Center has been struggling to fill its food pantry and fund other programs, but a carnival “FUN-raiser” at The Carnegie Coffee Co. helped fill the funding gap.

More than 50 people attended the carnival Saturday and more than $5,000 was raised.

“That’s really nice for a firsttime event,” said Rosaleen Poloso, the Salvation Army’s senior field representative. She’s in charge of 42 service centers from Erie to Washington, Pa.

Before it closed, the Bottom Dollar grocery store on Route 50 in Scott had donated meat to the Salvation Army food pantry in Carnegie, Ms. Poloso said. When the store closed, the pantry lost about $17,000 worth of meat donations in one year.

“We need to recoup some of that,” she said, and the carnival was a start.

Thirty-seven local businesses and individuals sponsored the event at The Carnegie Coffee Co., 132 E.Main St.

The $50 admission ticket covered unlimited food, coffee and shakes as well as games with prizes. Entertainment included face painting, henna and caricature artists, a magician and a balloon artist.

Ms. Poloso said the highlight of the evening was a professional hula hoop performer who used a fire-covered hoop.

The Salvation Army, which is a church and a social service organization, has been serving Carnegie and surrounding communities for nearly 90 years.

The Salvation Army is celebrating 150 years of global service, according to a news release. The Army serves in 126 countries, including the United States. The Western Pennsylvania Division serves 28 counties.