Commanding officers of Greensburg Salvation Army fight the good fight

When Earnest Fullwood became a New York state trooper, he thought he had landed his dream job. But after a while, he realized he felt unfulfilled.

“Sometimes I would sit in my state trooper car and ask, ‘Is this all there is, Lord?' ” he said. “God just had something more positive and productive for me to do.”

He decided to leave the police force and join the Salvation Army. He and his wife, Vanessa, have been part of the organization for more than 20 years, and in June they became the commanding officers of the Salvation Army of Greensburg.

The Salvation Army sends its officers wherever they're needed, often shifting them to new assignments every five years or so. The Fullwoods did stints in Atlantic City, N.J., Pittsburgh and Jersey City, N.J., before moving to Greensburg.

Before he was a soldier with the Salvation Army, Fullwood was a soldier with the Army, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division. He later worked several jobs in prisons and law enforcement, culminating in his service as a state trooper.

Vanessa was a stay-at-home mom, raising the couple's seven children, now all grown. Most of the Fullwoods' children and grandchildren live in Pittsburgh, which prompted them to request a transfer from Jersey City back to Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“We're happy to be back,” Vanessa Fullwood said.

December is often the busiest time of year for the Salvation Army as its “soldiers” work to put “a turkey on every table and a toy on every tree,” Earnest Fullwood said. Its Greensburg offices are bustling with staff members and volunteers packing meals and wrapping presents.

The season also heralds potential financial problems. The Greensburg unit had raised $59,000 of its target $90,000 in its annual Red Kettle campaign as of Tuesday, putting it $17,000 behind the total this time last year.

There's usually a dip in donations when new commanding officers take over, Earnest Fullwood said. Foul weather and a lack of volunteer bell-ringers made things worse.

“We only have a week to raise $31,000,” he said.

If the campaign ends far short of its goal, the Salvation Army may have to cut back on services like rent or utility assistance for families in need, or cut hours for staff, Vanessa Fullwood said.

“That means a reduction in services that are so desperately needed,” she said.

The Greensburg unit has three full-time and one part-time staff members, in addition to the Fullwoods.

The Fullwoods hope to focus their future efforts on helping young people, the homeless and those struggling with substance abuse.

Though the demographics are different, the problems in Greensburg are much the same as anywhere else, Vanessa Fullwood said.

“The people are the same almost everywhere. They have the same kinds of problems, whether you're in Greensburg or Jersey City,” she said.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.