Gov. Phil Bryant will keynote the first annual luncheon of the Salvation Army of Southwest Mississippi Aug. 28 at noon at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb.

Proceeds from the luncheon will help fund The Salvation Army of Southwest Mississippi Family Emergency Service programs, which serves anyone in need living in Amite, Lawrence, Lincoln, Pike and Walthall Counties.

The luncheon theme, “It’s more than what you think,” is especially relevant given the governor is a Salvation Army advisory board member in Jackson, said a Salvation Army spokesperson.

Bryant and his wife, First Lady Deborah Bryant, have two children, Patrick Bryant and Katie Bryant Snell, and are active members of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

Through its Southwest Mississippi Family Emergency Service programs, The Salvation Army was able to help 865 area families and 423 single individuals last year. Of those households helped, 32 were given overnight lodging, 55 received assistance with a rent payment, 302 received assistance with a utility bill and 21 households were provided with groceries.

“The programs of The Salvation Army of Southwest Mississippi are critical to our community,” said Corps officer Lt. Trish Arguello.

“By providing rental and utility assistance, we can ensure stable housing to these families,” Arguello continued. “We are addressing the ever-growing issue of homelessness in our communities, which in turn strengthens the parents’ ability to maintain and get jobs and allows children to stay in the same school and thrive. We are so proud that in the last year we were able to provide assistance to 3,981 individuals in our area.”

To learn about sponsorship opportunities and ticket purchases, please contact Arguello at 601-810-2909 or Ryan Adair at 601-833-0439.

Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center is located at 215 Marion Ave. in McComb.

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of a universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in Christ’s name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States.

Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army every year through an array of programs and services, such as food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children.

Eighty-two cents of every dollar is spent to carry out those services in more than 5,000 communities throughout the country, according to a Salvation Army press release.

For more information, “like” The Salvation Army on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/salvationarmyswms.