The Female Lone Parents Family Breatkthrough program will assist single mothers living in poverty in Kelowna, B.C. The 36-month project will help to increase economic security, financial literacy skills and social connections among low-income female lone-parent families.

At age 13 Scott Cameron was shy, insecure and desperate to be accepted by his friends. “In an attempt to fit in, I smoked my first joint of marijuana, with a buddy, under the carport of our middle-class family home,” says Scott.

At a glance, The Salvation Army’s sandwich wagon gives little hint of the vital service it provides to Campbell River, B.C. But those who depend on it know better.

In late 2009 I volunteered on The Salvation Army’s street youth van that feeds and befriends Toronto’s homeless youth. Seven evenings a week, the “Sally Van” gives a glimpse of hope to 16 to 25-year-olds who are desperate for food, compassion and understanding.

The Life Employability and Enhancement Program (LEEP) is a pre-employment training program that assists newcomers in becoming contributing members of Canadian society. Participants must be from a country affected by war and be between the ages of 18-30 years.

Many kids are heading for school on empty stomachs. This isn’t something you would expect in one of the best places in the world to live.

The clients and volunteers who participate in The Salvation Army’s soup kitchen on Tuesdays are a close community. Marcus Maloney, 87, has a bowl of soup, or chili almost every Tuesday, along with his wife Hazel, 82.

When 18-year-old Gwen Boyne was stabbed in the back of her head by her boyfriend, she thought she would die. Brad wanted to control, demean, harm and punish her. He had succeeded to do so countless times before.

It’s about survival. Homeless youth are rarely on the streets by choice. They are typically there because of circumstances. Peter Lewis, 26, discovered that sleeping on the streets, in tents, emergency shelters or on friends’ couches was a solution to an unstable family situation.

One of Toronto’s working poor – homeless in his final moments – died last year at St. Michael’s Hospital, unnoticed by the greater world around him.