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Black Tie
International:
Hand Grenade
Discovered in Box with Donated Items
at The Salvation Army |
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Member of bomb squad placing
grenade into secure container
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Donated Goods Contained
Potentially Explosive Devise
at Salvation Army
Hand Grenade Discovered in Box
with Donated Items
(West Palm Beach, FL) 24 January 2012 –
The resale of gently used household
goods at The Salvation Army Family Story
is a viable means of raising funds to
benefit the many programs and services
provided within Palm Beach County.
Donated goods are picked up or arrive
at our drop off locations in many
packages; garbage bags, boxes, plastic
containers, etc. Today as local
employees were sorting through a box of
donated goods, a hand grenade was
discovered with the pin still in place.
Salvation Army employees made the
discover at approximately 9:30am, the
authorities we notified immediately of
the finding and Emergency Units were
dispatched to the Family Store located
at 655 North Military Trail in West Palm
Beach. “I applaud our staff for
following proper protocol and putting
safety first,” said Area Commander
Thomas McWilliams. The 14 employees in
the building left the store in an
orderly fashion and awaited assistance
from the authorities. Fortunately, the
store had not opened to customers but
those arriving during normal business
hours had to be diverted until the scene
was secured.
Numerous emergency vehicles from around
the county responded to the call since
the determination had not been made if
the grenade was active or inactive. The
Salvation Army Mobile Feeding Unit
(Canteen) was also brought to the
location to provide hydration and snacks
to the emergency persons assisting on
the call. The local Bomb Squad was
called in by the Sheriff’s Office to
remove the hand grenade from the scene.
The hand grenade was placed into a
secure container where it could be
screened and was determined to be
inactive.
One member of the Palm Beach County
Sheriff’s Office indicated to Salvation
Army personnel that the discovery of
these war relics is not uncommon. “We
believe this could have been a situation
in which individuals were donating goods
of a loved one to our Family Store but
had no idea what was in the box,”
indicated Major McWilliams.
The Salvation Army would like to thank
local authorities for their rapid
response to the situation and assistance
in the removal. The Salvation Army
Family Store was back open and running
by noon and is continuing to accept
donations of gently used household
goods.
***
About The Salvation Army of Palm
Beach County
The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County,
an evangelical part of the universal
Christian church established in 1922,
has been supporting those in need in His
name without discrimination for 89
years. Over 19,000 Palm Beach County
residents receive assistance from The
Salvation Army each year through the
broadest array of social services that
range from providing 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. 82 cents of every dollar spent
is used to support those services in our
local communities. For more information,
go to
www.salvationarmypalmbeachcounty.org.
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