Alliance Salvation Army leaders moving on after efforts in pandemic

ALLIANCE – After three years, the Alliance Salvation Army will have a changing of the guard this month.

Capts. Shane and Dorothy Budd have received a new appointment in Warren, Pennsylvania. A farewell service will be held 11 a.m. Sunday at 57 W. Main St. with a reception to follow.

Maj. Tara Harrison, finishing a mission in Wadsworth, will replace the Budds beginning June 29.

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The Budds, who have been married 20 years, said they will miss Alliance.

Shane Budd said they hope they leave a legacy filled with an appreciation for the "love of God and the love of people."

Serving through a pandemic

The Budds, graduates of Washington High School in Massillon, returned to Stark County in June 2019 to serve the Alliance area after serving three years in Syracuse, New York.

They have three children.

The couple was just beginning their service when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the United States and shut down the nation.

"We were starting to build it up and get people coming to church ... and then," Shane Budd said.

But the couple never wavered. They adjusted.

Budds provided online ministry work, and handed out 'to-go' meals from their soup kitchen. They started a drive-through system for people to pick up groceries and toiletries.

"Shane and I were here every day working the drive through," Dorothy Budd said.

She said their only motivation was to help any family or individual that needed assistance, with no judgment.

"We didn't care if before COVID you were making money but now you were hungry or without a job. We wanted to be able to help," Dorothy Budd said.

Only recently have most pre-COVID services been restored at the Alliance chapter. For example, the kitchen reopened for indoor hot meals in early May and church services have drawn audiences.

"Even though we live in this age of technology, we long to have this fellowship, though, we may have moments where we're a little bit nervous because of a cough or sneeze," Dorothy Budd said.

Added Shane Budd: "To see each other and chat, there's a wholeness to it, and I think that's a part of how the Gospel message is. There's just a wholeness to being together."

'A great opportunity.'

The Budds know Maj. Tara Harrison, and anticipate a smooth transition that will help the Alliance chapter thrive.

Harrison has 17 years of experience with The Salvation Army.

"This is a great opportunity for me to be able to get to know the community of Alliance," she said. "I don't foresee changing anything but I don't really know what happens there."

Dorothy Budd said the Alliance chapter serves about 25,000 hot meals annually and provides social services for between 400 and 500 people a month.

"So I'm really excited to be able to get there and be helpful," Harrison said. "I try to be a leader who works alongside people and try to do my best to show Christ to people I come in contact with."

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com On Twitter: @bduerREP.