PENDLETON — The Salvation Army was stretched thin.

The organization’s thrift store — its top source of income — closed in March along with most other retail business in Oregon. At the same time, more people started showing up at the noon meal offered six days a week at Salvation Army headquarters.

“Instead of 30 or 40 people a day,” said Corps Officer DeWayne Halstad, “all of a sudden, it went up to 75, 100, 125, all the way up to about 150. It blew us away. There were a lot of people we had never seen before.”

They varied demographically from young children with their parents to senior citizens. To encourage social distancing, the lunch crew put meals in to-go containers and told diners to take them off-site. Eventually, the numbers dipped back down a little, but hovers around 100. Feeding so many is expensive, especially without income from the store.

“We lost about $80,000 from the store that would have helped with our feeding program,” he said.

On Tuesday, when the thrift store reopened, Halstad seemed visibly relieved. Money would start flowing back into the coffers. Customers, many who had called asking when the store would reopen, were coming back.

They didn’t need much urging. The store opened early at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and immediately people trickled in and started browsing. Six or seven employees, ringing up purchases, stocking shelves and cleaning, wore bright red masks emblazoned in white with “The Salvation Army.”

Manager Rocky Newtson greeted familiar customers by name as they entered the store.

“Hi, how are you,” she called. “It’s good to see our people coming back.”

When one unmasked customer unexpectedly hugged her, she was caught off-guard, but relaxed into it for a second. The man wandered toward the clothing racks and was soon engrossed in shopping.

Before COVID-19, Newtson said 150 to 180 people visited the store each day, with some 120 of them making purchases. In the first hour after reopening on Tuesday, about 30 shoppers came and went, most carrying purchased items.

Patrons will notice changes. Hand sanitizer is available at cashier stations, which will eventually feature plexiglass sneeze shields. Dressing rooms are unavailable. Employees routinely sanitize point-of-sale machines, doors and carts.

Halstad didn’t seem worried about all those people out there cleaning and purging their homes while self-quarantining who will eventually find their way to the store with boxes and bags. He laughed at a photo he’d seen posted on Facebook of a car filled with donations, ready for the day the Salvation Army reopened. The store will eventually get deluged, he said, but until then, bring it on.

Halstad praised those who helped the local Salvation Army feed an increased number of visitors during the time of reduced income from the store.

“The community has been very supportive,” he said. “We put it out on Facebook that we needed food and people responded.”