Homeless shelters

As part of our ongoing efforts to address the homelessness epidemic in the United States, The Salvation Army serves people in need of a safe place to stay 365 days a year through our network of homeless shelters, traditional housing, permanent supportive housing, and reentry resources. Your donations help us provide shelter, food, and other essential services to those in need.

Food Pantries

Sadly, there is no shortage of families facing financial burdens during the holidays. We provide programs and resources in food pantries and other locations that serve all who are in need. From Christmas meals to food baskets and groceries, we make everyone feel cared for during the holiday season. 

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by volunteering to help people struggling with food insecurity? Find a location near you this season and sign up for Salvation Army volunteer opportunities.

RENT/MORTGAGE & UTILITY ASSISTANCE

Keeping up with utility bills and rent while living paycheck to paycheck can be overwhelming, especially during the holidays. With rising food insecurity and outsized utility burdens, people are being forced into making difficult and often impossible choices just to survive. Your donations help us keep residents in their homes. From emergency shelter to securing a stable home, we provide rental assistance and program information to support individuals and families who, even temporarily, need rent relief or cannot pay their rent. 

The Salvation Army has always fought to ensure that no one goes without heat in the chilliest winters, air conditioning in the brutal summers, or fresh water to drink and bathe in. Your donations help us provide utility assistance to those in need. We continue to help struggling households pay their utility bills, offsetting the added financial burdens that come with Christmas season expenses. This allows families to enjoy the holidays and keep the heat on during those cold winter months. 

 SERVING ALL WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION

In providing its programs and services to underserved people during the holidays, The Salvation Army is committed to accommodating all who are in need without unlawful discrimination or harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic in accordance with our capacity to help. 

The Power of Volunteering

Emma Casebolt paid it forward. One holiday season, she was a single mother struggling to make ends meet in Sacramento. The Salvation Army Angel Tree program not only provided gifts for her children but also financial support to help her get on her feet. Later, Emma decided to give back by becoming a Salvation Army volunteer, helping to distribute gifts and recruiting others to adopt individual families to support during the holidays. Through it all, she experienced the power of volunteering as not only a way to support others but also a means of personal healing and purpose.

From Eviction to College Graduation

Misha Laster remembers a challenging period in her life when her family faced eviction due to financial struggles. Feeling lonely and without a stable home, she describes the difficulty of moving from one family member's house to another. The situation changed when her mom found support from The Salvation Army, which prevented them from resorting to a homeless shelter. Her experience with The Salvation Army was a different and positive experience. Staff and volunteers were clearly invested in the Lancaster family's lives and offered support, donations, and financial literacy. Misha talks about the transformative impact of The Salvation Army on her family, leading to educational opportunities, a full scholarship to Belmont University, graduation, marriage, and a family. She expresses gratitude for The Salvation Army's role in helping her family overcome challenges and achieve their goals, emphasizing the organization's profound and positive influence on her life.

Finding Community Beyond Christmas

When Elsa moved to Wisconsin, she found much-needed support from The Salvation Army when she faced financial challenges during the holidays. Grateful for the Army's assistance, she remembers the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the organization's holiday activities. Elsa emphasized the positive impact the Army had on her family's life, including their newfound joy in volunteering and connecting with the community. For her, The Salvation Army is a unique and wonderful organization that not only provides material support but also contributes to the personal growth of its beneficiaries, making them more sensitive, humble, and humane through life's adversities.

Christmas Morning in Hempstead

One Christmas morning at The Salvation Army corps in Hempstead, New York, the congregation's service took an unexpected turn when a nearby building caught fire. As sirens filled the air, residents fled the flames and sought refuge at the church. The congregation, led by Major Young Sung Kim, responded by opening its doors to approximately 80 displaced residents, offering not only hot food and drinks but also coats, blankets, clothes, and Christmas gifts. The Salvation Army showed the true spirit of Christmas and became a temporary shelter, providing warmth, comfort, and support for those affected by the fire. Church volunteers played key roles in cooking, serving, and offering prayers to the victims. Despite the disruption to their own Christmas plans, the congregants embraced their role as the hands and feet of Christ in a time of need. The experience strengthened the community's bond, showcased the church's compassionate outreach, and left a lasting impact on both the volunteers and those they helped.