234: How Hope Markets transform food assistance with Stacy Bleuel
Release Date: 08/04/2025
253: Why joy is meant to be shared
The Do Gooders Podcast
Sharing joy isn’t just a phrase. It’s not a slogan. It’s a lived experience. It’s what happens when someone who once received help becomes someone who helps. It’s what happens when hope doesn’t stop at relief—but continues through healing, takes root, and then moves outward. Help. Healing. Hope. Helping. That full circle—that’s what this season is about. Over the coming weeks, you’ll hear stories from people who know that circle intimately. People who came to The Salvation Army at moments when life felt overwhelming, uncertain or broken. People who were met with care,...
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Coming Soon: Share The Joy
The Do Gooders Podcast
A new season of The Do Gooders Podcast is coming soon. We'll explore stories of help, healing and hope.
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252: A new year, a new chapter with Commissioners James and Sue Betts
The Do Gooders Podcast
As we begin a new year, we’re sharing the joy of a new chapter in the Western Territory. Commissioners James and Sue Betts have stepped into leadership as the new Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women’s Ministries for The Salvation Army’s USA Western Territory. After nearly three decades of ministry together—in corps, divisions, the Adult Rehabilitation Centers, and most recently in national leadership—they bring a wealth of experience, a deep love for people, and a contagious joy for serving the Lord. Married for 33 years and officers for 29, they’re the proud...
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251: The extraordinary gift of Christmas with Commissioner Douglas Riley
The Do Gooders Podcast
Today, we’re closing out our Give With Joy series with a special Christmas message from our Territorial Commander, Commissioner Douglas Riley. As we celebrate the season together, Commissioner Riley invites us to pause amid the noise and remember the heart of Christmas—the miracle of God’s love made known in Jesus. It’s a message of hope for the weary, joy for the heart that gives, and peace for all who make room for him this season. So wherever this message finds you today—whether surrounded by family, serving your community, making those final preparations, or simply listening in...
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250: Olympia’s Roaring Motorcycle Toy Run with Captain Amelia Mott
The Do Gooders Podcast
Every December in Olympia, Washington, the sound of Christmas isn’t just bells ringing—it’s engines revving. For one incredible day, thousands of bikers fill the streets, each with toys strapped to their motorcycles—dolls, skateboards, games, stuffed animals—all destined for children who might otherwise go without. It’s the annual Olympia Toy Run, and for 48 years, this event has brought together riders from all over the region for one shared purpose: bringing joy to kids at Christmas. Those toys, thousands of them, end up at The Salvation Army, where they become part of the Toy...
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249: Inside The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree with Marlene Klotz-Collins
The Do Gooders Podcast
There’s nothing quite like the joy on a child’s face when they open a Christmas gift chosen just for them. It’s the kind of joy that lingers long after the wrapping paper is gone—the joy of being remembered, seen and loved. For more than 40 years, has made that moment possible for children across the country. It has grown into a movement that now brings Christmas joy to more than a million children each year. The idea was simple: invite the community to adopt a child by name, shop for their Christmas wishes, and then return those gifts so they could be placed into the hands of...
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248: Christmas began with a promise with Amanda Bible Williams
The Do Gooders Podcast
Christmas isn’t only about the manger in Bethlehem. It’s about the bigger story—one that stretches from Genesis to Revelation. The story of creation, fall, redemption and restoration. And at its center, the good news, as we read in John 1:14, is the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. At Christmas, we celebrate that truth—the Word became flesh. In the middle of all the gift-giving and celebrations, Scripture reminds us that the greatest gift has already been given. And that gift—the Bible tells us—is for you. That’s also the conviction behind She Reads Truth,...
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247: Behind the Red Kettle
The Do Gooders Podcast
Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the most familiar sights and sounds of Christmas: the Red Kettle. You’ve probably walked past one outside your grocery store or shopping center—the bell ringing, the volunteers bundled up in scarves and mittens, and that iconic kettle inviting you to pause for just a moment and give. This year, for the 135th year, The Salvation Army’s iconic Red Kettles will stand as a symbol of hope, generosity and community. Last year, in just 28 days, Americans gave nearly $100 million at thousands of kettles nationwide. Every dollar stayed in the...
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246: Your brain on altruism with Nicole Karlis
The Do Gooders Podcast
The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that “God loves a cheerful giver.” And we’ve seen that throughout this series—giving changes lives, both for those who receive and for those who give. But here’s something interesting: science agrees. Research shows that helping others doesn’t just strengthen communities—it also transforms our health. Acts of kindness can boost our resilience, lower stress, and even help us live longer. Today, I’m joined by health and science journalist Nicole Karlis, author of “Your Brain on Altruism.” In her book, she explores how generosity...
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245: Profiles in joyful giving
The Do Gooders Podcast
Alright, let’s cut right to it today: the people behind the gifts—the donors, kids, families and partners who show us what it means to give with joy. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” And when we hear “cheerful giver,” it’s easy to picture the act itself—dropping money in a kettle, buying a toy for a child, or writing a check. But what’s so powerful is how giving transforms both the receiver and the giver. In this episode, you’ll...
info_outlineLately, here on this show, we're exploring what happens when hope moves from feeling to doing, from possibility to practice. And today, we're continuing our journey inside one of The Salvation Army's recent transformations: Hope Markets.
As we covered in our recent “Hope in Action” issue of the magazine, these aren't your typical food pantries. In Hope Markets across the Northwest, people don't receive pre-packed boxes—they shop for their own groceries, selecting fresh produce under gentle misters, browsing grocery-style shelves and building relationships along the way.
It's meeting need in a more personal way when the need is great. Right now, more than 47 million people in the U.S. face hunger, including 1 in 5 children, according to the USDA. And in one recent year alone, more than 50 million people turned to charitable food assistance for extra help.
Across the Northwest Division, Hope Markets served more than 457,000 people in 2024.
But to understand the real impact of this model, we need to talk with someone who's lived both sides of the experience.
Stacy Bleuel is the Social Services Coordinator at The Salvation Army in Puyallup, Washington. Years ago, she arrived at their doors—not as an employee, but as someone seeking help. Homeless, grieving and struggling to care for her three children, Stacy came through a state assistance program.
Today, she runs the Hope Market in the very place that once helped her rebuild her life.
And her journey from Salvation Army food recipient to janitor to program coordinator isn't just inspiring—it's a living example of what's possible when we create spaces where hope is both given and received.
EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.
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