Meeting Basic Needs With Food Programs

by Alberta
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    Offering food programs has been part of The Salvation Army’s services since it was founded in London, England in 1865 by William Booth, who established the Army with his belief in Soup, Soap, and Salvation. He believed that by meeting people’s basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter, only then would people be able to accept salvation. This belief carried on throughout The Salvation Army’s history, from the lassies serving doughnuts on the front lines in WWI, to the mobile canteens that find the hungry on our city streets today.

    Our food programs are as varied as the cities we serve, and include Street Ministry and outreach, free hot meals, cooking classes, food hampers, drop-in centres, Christmas meals, and more. We do whatever we can to reach anyone who needs us. The Salvation Army believes everyone has the right to dignity, and we offer our services and programs without discrimination, based only on the need of the person and our ability to provide.

    Street Ministry and Outreach:
    In Fort McMurray, a volunteer-run program goes out each night from 9:00pm to 12:00am, 7 nights a week, with the Community Response Unit (CRU) or canteen, to offer soup, sandwiches, coffee, juice, clothing, and personal items to anyone who needs them. A friendly face, and hot cup of soup go a long way on a cold winter night.

    Each winter in Edmonton, the outreach van from Crossroads Community Church goes out from 9:00pm to 2:00am, Monday to Saturday, and serves sandwiches, donated treats, and hot beverages to women who are homeless, addicted, and/or prostituted. The women are invited to warm up and relax a bit, and can also pick up some clothing and personal items. The sandwiches are prepared by volunteers in the warming centre, where they also prepare breakfast and lunch every day for anyone in the community who is hungry.

    E3C-Jade-Doreen

    Jade and Doreen at Crossroads preparing bag lunches for the Outreach program.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Hot Meals and Drop-ins:
    In Edmonton, The Salvation Army’s Community & Family Services offers a hot, healthy breakfast every Friday morning, a senior’s lunch every other Friday, and emergency food bank services. The Addictions & Residential Centre (ARC) offers a free community lunch of homemade soup, buns, and coffee every Wednesday. Hundreds come through the doors here every month for food services alone.

    Classes:
    St. Albert offers yet a different kind of food program, called a Collective Kitchen. This is a program to teach people how to cook healthy meals, while keeping costs low. Twice a month, the participants come together to learn how to choose affordable recipes, cook the meal, and clean up. They can also prepare the meals to freeze and store for later.

    Christmas Hampers:
    Yellowknife, NT, has probably the most unique food program of any social services unit in our Division, perhaps even the Territory. Every Christmas, The Salvation Army Community Services in Yellowknife expands their hamper program to include communities within the surrounding 1000km. The hampers have everything needed for a full Christmas dinner, including turkeys, and are sent by airplane to 10 or so communities with limited or no road access. Air Tindi, First Air, and the 4440 Squadron of the Department of National Defense partner with The Salvation Army to deliver the hampers. (insert map)

    These are only a few of the programs we operate across our Division. The Alberta & Northern Territories Division is Canada & Bermuda Territory’s most expansive, and offers hundreds of programs and services for people living in poverty, suffering through addictions, hunger, and homelessness, to get their lives back on track.