Meet Burrows Center Program Director Tiffany McCowin
OMAHA, Neb.—Material Assistance Seasonal Services (MASS) director Tiffanie McCowin has been with the program for 13 years.
"We help to meet the basic needs and I also oversee our seasonal events that happen every year," she said. "Back to school is one of them, [plus] our fan program, and of course, holiday assistance."
MASS isn’t the only help The Salvation Army provides at the Burrows Center for Help and Hope. Rent and utility assistance is also available.
“Housing is a huge need right now,” McCowin said. “People are falling behind on rent and utilities. There's not enough help out in the community in those areas. So, we are filling it at the Burrows Center.”
But, she says, rent and utilities are not the only prominent areas of need right now in the metro.
"Food insecurity is huge as well. People are juggling, trying to figure out what to pay and how to stretch their money. And so we are seeing those families come in."
McCowin’s 24 total years with The Salvation Army started when she was still in school.
“I did two practicums here. And once I did the second one, I was like, 'You know, this could be a place that I could really enjoy.'
"From the moment I stepped foot in the door in my practicum, I immediately started working—at that time, [I was working with] with younger girls that were a ward of the state."
She then spent eight years as case manager for a housing program.
“It was families coming out of shelters, living on the streets, and things like that. So, they could come and live with us for up to 18 months."
McCowin says she enjoys helping people.
"I enjoy seeing people get to the next level in their life. I enjoy supporting folks, and so it's not like coming to work for me. It's like being able to help my neighbors every day, all day when I'm here."
While people do need help, McCowin notes that they sometimes do not need much of it. Just a small boost often suffices.
She has found it extremely rewarding to work with families and individuals who need the assistance—so much so that it ties into what The Salvation Army’s mantra, “Doing the Most Good,” means to her.
“’Doing the Most Good,’ to me, means that if I'm able to help one person overcome whatever it may be that they may be working on, or that may be a stressor, or they may be struggling with, then I have done what God has called me to do."