THE SALVATION ARMY, a California Corporation

People that struggle with hunger don't always know where their next meal is coming from. They live with high food insecurity, which has an impact on all facets of their daily lives. To help mitigate the widespread issue of food insecurity, The Salvation Army serves more than 56 million meals annually via a wide variety of programs. Through our food pantries, corps kitchens, mobile meal units, sit-down and summer feeding programs, first ever grocery store, and community gardens we work to help and serve anyone in need. We design our services based on local need, which varies greatly from community to community. The one constant with our hunger programs is the belief in the need to mitigate hunger in the United States and role that combating it plays in overall poverty reduction. Whether it’s a food pantry offering free fresh produce and groceries to communities that lack access to these goods due to being in a “food desert,” meal programs that provide nutritious, hot meals and valuable human interaction, or our nutrition education programs, our hunger relief efforts are far reaching.

Since its origin, The Salvation Army has sought to house people suffering the hardships of poverty and homelessness. The Salvation Army offers a broad range of housing and homelessness services for individuals, families, and youth. For homeless populations, The Salvation Army provides varying levels of housing, from emergency shelter to permanent supportive housing. Emergency shelters offer people experiencing homelessness a safe, clean, and hospitable place to sleep and receive meals. Caseworkers assist both people experiencing homelessness and those in eminent danger of homelessness with emergency service funds and counseling. The Salvation Army either serves as the Continuum of Care (CoC) lead or works with the Continuum of Care (CoC) for coordinated entry of those experiencing homelessness to be referred to the right form of housing to meet their needs. Large shelters offer interim care for homeless individuals and families. When appropriate Rapid Re-Housing is implemented assisting individuals, families, and youth to be housed quickly. The Salvation Army sustains several forms of transitional housing facilities with different entry requirements and different lengths of stay. Additionally, The Salvation Army operates programs to maintain stably housed individuals, family, and youth through Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA), Grant Per Diem (GPD), and Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF). Homelessness supportive services such as education, job training, counseling, meals, and clothing are available to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Lastly, The Salvation Army’s disaster response and recovery often operates temporary shelters in, or near, the areas affected by fire, hurricane, flooding, or other disaster.

For more than 100 years The Salvation Army’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs have provided spiritual, clinical, social, and emotional assistance for men and women recovering from substance abuse. Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC), Harbor Lights, and other Salvation Army rehabilitation programs offer residential housing, work training, group and individual therapy, medical treatment, and more, all in a clean, wholesome environment. The physical and spiritual care that program participants receive prepares them to re-enter society and return to gainful employment. Many of those who have been rehabilitated are reunited with their families and resume a normal life. Each program participant is provided with a clean and healthy living environment, good food, work training, leisure time activities, group and individual counseling, spiritual direction, and resources to develop life skills and a personal relationship with God as provided by Jesus Christ.

The Salvation Army has served first responders and survivors of every major natural disaster in the United States since the Galveston hurricane in 1900. With a physical presence in nearly every zip code across the country, The Salvation Army is there before, during, and after a disaster strikes, providing for the immediate and long term needs of the community in any situation. Our army in the Western Territory of the United States stands ready to help with hot meals, shelter, emotional and spiritual care, and more. The Salvation Army will continue to serve whenever the next disaster hits.

The Salvation Army’s traditional Red Kettle is an integral part of the Christmas scene, with millions of dollars donated each year to aid individuals and families in need. Donations and financial assistance provide Christmas dinners, clothing, and toys for families in need, including families of prisoners. The Angel Tree program allows angel adopters to purchase specific gifts requested by the parent of the angel they have selected. Volunteers distribute gifts to individuals in hospitals and nursing homes, and shelters are open for sit-down dinners. The Salvation Army endeavors to bring spiritual light and love to those it serves at Christmas so that the real meaning of the season is not forgotten. Many families receive aid over a period of months after the Christmas season, as well as people struggling with difficult family, emotional, or employment problems. Because we want to respond to the varying needs of the communities in which we serve, all our holiday assistance programs are administered locally.

The Salvation Army is deeply committed to the modern-day fight against human trafficking (for sexual and labor purposes) and commercial sexual exploitation innately linked to sexual trafficking. This commitment emerges from The Salvation Army's mission, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination, and is rooted in the organization's early history. The Salvation Army was founded in London, England, in 1865 by the husband and wife team of Catherine and William Booth. Upon learning of the desperate needs of women and children at risk of or already caught up in organized commercial sexual exploitation, The Salvation Army responded by opening homes for women and girls and developing intensive "Rescue Work." Within thirty years, Salvation Army rescue homes grew from one to 117.
Further, The Salvation Army participated in the planning and execution of an undercover investigation into the trafficking of young girls for prostitution - a detailed account of which was published in July 1885 by the Pall Mall Gazette in a series of articles called, "The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon." The series stirred public opinion in support of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, a measure which, when passed in August 1885, raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 (although reformers sought 18). The Salvation Army's advocacy efforts were a major catalyst in the bill's passage. Now, more than a century later, The Salvation Army in the United States and abroad is part of a reviving movement for the abolition of sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. The Salvation Army maintains safe haven homes and apartments for victims of human trafficking where supportive services and trauma-informed care are provided, and works with other local governments and partner organizations to provide safe spaces and resources. For additional information on this topic, visit https://sajustice.us

In 1998, Mrs. Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, donated $90 million to The Salvation Army to build a comprehensive community center in San Diego, California. Her goal was to create a center, supported in part by the community, where children and families would be exposed to different people, activities and arts that would otherwise be beyond their reach. Completed in 2001, the center sits on 12 acres and offers an ice arena, gymnasium, three pools, rock climbing walls, a performing arts theatre, an internet-based library, computer lab, and a school of visual and performing arts. When Mrs. Kroc passed away in October 2003, she left $1.5 billion - much of her estate - to The Salvation Army, by far the largest charitable gift ever given to the Army, and the largest single gift given to any single charity at one time. The money was designated to build a series of state-of-the-art Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers nationwide patterned after the San Diego center. There are now 26 Kroc Corps Community Centers around the country. The Western Territory is home to Kroc Centers in San Diego, CA, Honolulu, Hawaii, Coeur d’Alane, Idaho, San Francisco, CA, Salem, Oregon, Suisun City, CA, and Phoenis, AZ. Learn more about these community centers at www.kroccenter.org

The Salvation Army operates hundreds of after school programs in low and moderate-income neighborhoods across the country, including several Boys and Girls Clubs. These programs provide children with a safe place to play and learn in a supervised and constructive environment. In many cases The Salvation Army will provide sports, arts, and music programs, which may not be available in the local school systems. In addition, more than 100,000 children from low-income families enjoy fresh air, exercise and new friendships each year at Salvation Army summer camp programs. The camping experience is more than just a pleasant vacation. Children learn new skills and self-reliance; trained counselors who understand their emotional needs and problems help them to mature. Camp Activities include learning to swim, adventure and scouting, arts and crafts, music development, and sports.

--VETERANS-- Every year The Salvation Army serves thousands of veterans in need. The ministry of The Salvation Army to members of the military has grown from serving coffee and doughnuts to soldiers on the front lines in World War I to providing various programs to serve these men and women who have served us so valiantly.

Services rendered to veterans are as unique as the communities they live in. They range from housing assistance, job training, and drug and alcohol treatment to lending assistance with wheelchairs and getting veterans outside for some fresh air by experiencing a weekend at camp. The Salvation Army provides extensive transitional and permanent housing for veterans through Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and the Grant and Per Diem Programs (GPD) across the country. From coast to coast, Salvation Army programs recognize the sacrifices our veterans have made for their country.

--CORRECTIONAL SERVICES-- Through cooperative arrangements with prison, probation, and parole officials throughout the country, The Salvation Army plays an important role in prison rehabilitation and crime prevention. Depending on the community and the agreements in place, offenders may be diverted from prison and allowed to instead participate in a Salvation Army program. Services for those incarcerated include: Bible correspondence courses, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, pre-release job-training programs, material aid and spiritual guidance to both offenders and their families. The Salvation Army offers a variety of re-entry programs to those being released, including drug and alcohol rehabilitation, transitional housing, shelters, work release and parole programs. --ELDERLY SERVICES-- Each year, almost 1 million older adults are served by The Salvation Army. In corps community centers throughout the nation, older adults gather to share interests, develop new skills, and enjoy the company of their peers. The Salvation Army meets their needs in many ways, including educational classes, day care, hot-lunch programs, pre-retirement seminars, and more. Each center provides a variety of activities to meet diverse needs. Residential facilities provide apartments and affordable housing for low-income older adults to age-in-place. Here, in an atmosphere of understanding and respect, new friendships are formed and talents discovered.