Pearls of Muscatine: Greg and Liz Bock
by Margaret Hurlbert
May 02, 2020

Just under a year ago, Greg and Liz Bock learned they and their family would go to Muscatine the day they became Salvation Army Lieutenants. “We found out we were moving to Muscatine when we were on stage being commissioned by the Salvation Army as officers,” recalls Greg Bock. “It was in front of hundreds of people; we had an idea a few weeks prior that this might have been where the Salvation Arms would send us, but noting was 100% certain, as they wanted it to be a surprise.”

Both felt excited to make the move, but for Greg Bock especially, Muscatine sounded like home. A native of Alton, Illinois, a city on the Mississippi River north of St Louis, Muscatine seemed quite familiar to him. “My family were early settlers there and involved in politics, so being stationed in Muscatine is like being stationed in my hometown and is exciting,” he shared.

In the roughly ten months since they arrived in Muscatine, the Bocks have found many ways to partner with the community to help those in need. Along with raising $192,000 from the Red Kettle Campaign last winter (breaking the goal for the first time in years), the two have begun meshing the Salvation Army of Muscatine County’s services with those provided by other organizations. “We are working to revamp our social services so we are more aligned with other agencies in town and working together with them for complete wrap around care of our friends who look to us when they need help,” explained Greg Bock.

As the Bocks continue to grow the Salvation Army of Muscatine County’s services, they hope to acquire and begin using an outreach trailer. Such a vehicle would allow them to hold educational and recreational events, as well as to distribute food and water, to people in need anywhere in the county.

For the Bocks though, love for their new community drives them to keep finding new ways to help. “The friendliness of this community is something not seen in many places,” shared Liz Bock. “I also love how invested the major corporations are in this community,” Greg Bock added.

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