Twenty-five years ago, Dewey Robinson sat down with Georgia Representative Jack Butler and five other Bainbridge locals to talk about bringing a Salvation Army to Bainbridge.

It just so happened that at the time, Campbell’s Soup Company was looking to place 10 new Salvation Armies in Georgia. Bainbridge was one of them. They purchased the building next to Ivey Funeral Home from Dick Ivey and the rest was history.

Two and a half decades later, and Robinson is blown away by the work the organization has done.

“We wanted to help to bring a better life to some of those who are less fortunate,” Robinson said about helping start Salvation Army. “We would rather give to a freeloader than deny someone who needed our help.”

Over the years, Robinson and others have fed “umpteen-million people”, put them in hotels, paid for their gas, bought bus tickets and airfare.

Now Robinson wants someone younger to take the reigns and continue to provide those less fortunate in Bainbridge with a little extra help.

“I got to looking around at the overall picture and I thought it’s time to let somebody else learn this thing,” Robinson said.

Robinson said over the years he has had the pleasure to work with the finest board members and employees, from top to bottom.

“It’s just a wonderful organization and has wonderful people running it,” Robinson said.

One of the greatest moments in his 23-year tenure was during the flood of 1994, when Salvation Army set up a shelter at Elcan King Elementary School and housed 150 people and an entire nursing home.

Robinson said he still plans to stay involved by going to board meetings and offering his help with any event or disaster Salvation Army is faced with.