By Debra Messick

CAMBRIDGE -- Like the U S. Army, Salvation Army leaders are often transferred wherever they are needed most.

So, when the call came, Raquel and David Lorenzo, Majors in the Salvation Army, didn't hesitate to once again pack up and head to new communities.

This time their destination was Cambridge, to pick up the leadership baton from Captain Wendy Parsons, who had led the Mid-Shore Salvation Army for five years along with her husband, Captain Bo Parsons, who passed away suddenly last August.

Both ordained ministers, the Lorenzos met while leading youth ministries at separate churches in Miami, Mrs. Lorenzo’s hometown (Mr. Lorenzo’s roots are in Puerto Rico).

Married for 39 years, with three adult children, the couple has spent 19 of those dedicated to helping others through Salvation Army service.

Following two years attending Salvation Army training college in Atlanta, Georgia, the Lorenzos commanded posts up and down the East Coast – in Gainesville, Florida, Winchester, Virginia (where they first encountered snow), Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Prince George's County, Maryland, and back to Miami, before heading for the Eastern Shore.

“I usually leave a big piece of my heart wherever we serve,” Mrs. Lorenzo said.
This time, though, an even larger measure remained behind, due to the birth of their first grandson Jai, or ‘Chis Pito’ (Little Bit)‘, shortly before they were reassigned.

Grateful for daily FaceTime visits, she also believes that the experience of having to leave family behind offers insight and empathy into the deep sense of loss many who come to the Salvation Army for help also go through.

“That is among the first questions I ask, ‘Do you have any family here?” she said. “Most often the answer is no, especially for those who have left a distant home. And family are often the first ones we lean on during difficult times. So we become, in a sense, their family.”

Over the years Mrs. Lorenzo has learned to not only ask questions, but especially to listen. In addition to practical help by way of food, shelter, and other assistance which the Salvation Army strives to provide, one of the biggest needs is for someone to lend a caring ear to what they are going through, she said.

“Everyone has a story, from beginning to end,” she said, recalling that often they never learn what happens after lending a helping hand through social services partnerships and the overnight shelter.

Often, people assume things about those who are homeless and in need, never guessing that such circumstances can truly happen to anyone, teachers, attorneys, even surgeons.

“Anyone can make one wrong decision, or hit a bump in the road, and need help,” Mr. Lorenzo said.

Often, they never learn what happens to those helped by providing a bed or a meal. “We just plant the seed,” Mrs. Lorenzo said.

But while visiting their youngest son in Gainesville, while picking up a large appliance at Walmart, a worker went out of his way to help Mr. Lorenzo.

Later, the man informed him that he had stayed at the Salvation Army shelter during their tenure in Gainesville. Back on his feet, the man was happy to be able to express his gratitude. “Dad, that was the coolest thing to be able to witness,” the Lorenzo’s son said

Being able to speak the language of those they serve is one way the couple’s Hispanic roots contribute to their mission

Mrs. Lorenzo provides live translation of church services into Spanish at the Salvation Army chapel.

“We invite the community to join us there, and to know that we are a welcoming church,” Mr. Lorenzo said.

He said that the open door policy of the chapel, the focal point of their campus at the corner of Washington Street and Goodwill Avenue, represents a link to the reason behind the Salvation Army’s founding in the East End of London in 1865.

“At the time, the poor and homeless were not welcome inside the city’s church services, a fact which “broke the heart “ of Methodist minister William Booth, he said.

Booth started an evangelical street ministry, then established mission stations providing food and housing, and in 1878 named the project The Salvation Army, present in 133 countries around the world, Mr. Lorenzo said.

For the past 75 years, the women's ministry has supported an outreach program providing schools, hospitals, and 3 meals a day for children throughout Mexico,” Mrs. Lorenzo said.

According to her husband, in the U.S. the Salvation Army is active “in every zip code.” Proceeds from the Salvation Army store on Route 50 all go towards supporting those here on the Mid-Shore, they said.

They also partner with many local agencies, organizations, churches, businesses, and individuals who donate food in many ways, including grab and go bags helpful to the working poor, shelter meals, mobile canteen hot dogs, laundry detergent, health and personal care items, and more.

For more information, call 410-228-2442, visit at 200 Washington Street in Cambridge or read the Salvation Army's website.