GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic For 30 years Pauline Hunter has been working for the Salvation Army in Yakima. And for all of those 30 years Hunter has been going to church at the Salvation Army's chapel at the charity's 16th Avenue building. Hunter is being honored May 13 for those years of service. Links   E-mail             Print            Advertisement

It's in their laugh. They're prone to cracking up at the same time, causing others to laugh along with them.

It's in their conversation. Don't be surprised if one finishes the other's sentence or echoes her same sentiment.

And it's in their shared values -- honesty, kindness, generosity -- and the things they believe in -- service and salvation, Jesus and social justice.

Like mother, like daughter. That's how the old saying goes. And that's how these two operate.

Pauline Hunter and her daughter, Lisa Sargent, grew up in the Salvation Army. Hunter learned the life from her mom, then taught it to her daughter.

Now, the 69-year-old and 34-year-old are job-sharing. They're program coordinators at the Yakima Salvation Army, where
Sargent works full time, planning events and activities, and Hunter works part time, mainly in the food bank.

Hunter also volunteers.

"She's always the first one there, regardless of her paid hours," says Dale Carpenter, a past chairman of the board of the Yakima Salvation Army. He's known Hunter for about 20 years. "She even works weekends," he says.

Retirement, her daughter says, is a concept Hunter rejects. Even though she's taking time off to recuperate from recent knee surgery, Hunter's having trouble slowing down. In fact, "I'm mad about it," she says.

She's looking forward to being back on her feet, serving people in need. To her, being accountable means "to serve others the best we can."

Hunter started working at the Yakima Salvation Army in 1977, four years after moving here from Maryland. Born and raised in Okla-homa, she participated in the Salvation Army from the time she was a young girl, attending worship services and scouting programs, and eventually rising to the rank of captain.

The Salvation Army, one of the world's largest providers of social aid, is organized like a branch of the military. Its volunteers and employees, officers and soldiers, help upwards of 30 million people a year in this country alone with basic necessities such as food, shelter and clothing. The international Christian church and charity aims to meet people's needs without discrimination.

"The Salvation Army believes if you feed them and clothe them, they'll find salvation," Hunter says.

She believes that, too. So does Sargent. Like mother, like daughter.

"I really believe if it was her last penny, she'd give it to somebody who needs it more," says Sargent, who first attended Salvation Army services and events on her mother's hip. By the time she was a teenager, she was working at the thrift store to earn extra money.

"I guess I learned by example from watching," says Sargent, the youngest of Hunter's three adult children, all of whom are involved with the Salvation Army.

The two older ones are ministers with the Salvation Army in the South. They're expected to return to Yakima next month when the local Salvation Army holds a celebration of their mother's life and service in Milroy Park, site of the summer day camp Hunter organized for 30 years.

"She's like a mother to all those kids at day camp at Milroy," Carpenter says. "That day camp should be named Pauline's Park. It really should be."

"Day camp is her passion," agrees Sargent, who considers her mom her role model. "She always showed us; we just followed along."

Hunter began working at the Yakima Salvation Army as a bookkeeper, but quickly added other responsibilities, including the day camp. She served as program coordinator for about 20 years, organizing activities and fundraisers, including the Operation Harvest food drive, letter-carrier food drive, school supplies drive, scouting program and distribution of Christmas baskets. At Salvation Army events, she's known for serving up her famous hamburger soup and for her tireless giving.

"She doesn't blow her own horn," says her 71-year-old sister, Clydie Merriman, who also works part time and volunteers at the Yakima Salvation Army. "I don't believe I've ever heard her say, 'Should I do that?' when somebody's in need."

Says Sargent, also a mother of three, "She'll just go and take care of it."

In earlier days, Hunter was the main contact person for the after-hours Salvation Army answering service. Sometimes, other agencies and community groups would also refer calls for help to her.

"If they called us, we left," says Sargent, who began working as program coordinator earlier this year. "I remember her taking kids to go buy shoes because they didn't have shoes on."

She also remembers watching her mom give a new baby bottle to a mother in need, leaving home on a winter's night to deliver wood so a grandmother and her five grandchildren could keep warm, even letting a couple of people who didn't have shelter for the night stay in her own home.

"I get a lot of blessings," Hunter says. "I get to talk to people, see what they really need. It brings them happier days."

In 1998, she was recognized by the Downtown Yakima Rotary Club as an unsung hero for all of her behind-the-scenes service.

"She's a blessing," Carpenter says. "It's not a job to her; it's a love, a love of the Lord. I've always been taken by Pauline's exceptional caring for people in need."

Now, she's hoping to return to work at the Salvation Army food bank sometime this summer, likely -- her daughter says -- for only a couple hours a day at first.

Meantime, they'll be celebrating Mother's Day at -- where else? -- the Salvation Army. There's a free barbecue today at 5 p.m. at the church and community center at 310 N. 16th Ave.

Seth Franco, a Harlem Globetrotter, will be shooting hoops at the event. He's the guest speaker at Tuesday's luncheon, which Hunter and her family plan to attend.

"She'll never retire," Sargent predicts. "She can't stand that word."