# The Salvation Army in Canada

> The Salvation Army in Canada is a Christian church and one of the country's largest non-governmental direct social-service providers, combining food banks, shelters, recovery programs, disaster response, spiritual care and a national thrift-store network. Its Grande Prairie operation captures both the model and the pressure on it: local trust, corporate surplus food and flexible aid meet a food-bank caseload that has climbed sharply while some former donors have become recipients.

- **Founded:** 1882
- **Headquarters:** Toronto, Canada
- **Founders:** Jack Addie (Canadian pioneer), Joe Ludgate (Canadian pioneer)
- **Team size:** More than 9,000 employees in Canada, supported by 1,476 active and retired officers and more than 90,000 active volunteers, according to the 2025 Modern Slavery Act report.
- **Products:** Community and family services, Shelter and housing support, Recovery and mental-health support, Emergency Disaster Services, National Recycling Operations
- **Notable:** Expanded from volunteer-led Canadian meetings in 1882 to a presence in more than 400 communities across Canada and Bermuda., Recorded 3 million visits for assistance, 4.8 million community and shelter meals and 8,350 beds provided nightly in the 2024-2025 annual report., Invested an average of 87 percent of funding directly into mission over the five years through fiscal 2025.

## Products & services

- **Community and family services** — Food banks, community meals, school nutrition, clothing and practical assistance, often serving as an entry point to broader support.
- **Shelter and housing support** — Emergency shelters, safe houses, transitional housing, housing referrals, advocacy and extreme-weather responses.
- **Recovery and mental-health support** — Residential and community programs, counselling, individualized treatment planning, life skills and referrals for substance-use and mental-health needs.
- **Emergency Disaster Services** — Food, hydration, clothing, emotional and spiritual care, reception-centre support and longer-term recovery during disasters.
- **National Recycling Operations** — A network of thrift stores that sells donated clothing and household goods, funds local programs and diverts reusable material from landfill.
- **Spiritual care and churches** — Worship, chaplaincy and community support through a network of community churches and trained officers.
- **Modern slavery and human-trafficking response** — Prevention, outreach, emergency housing, referrals, survivor support, education and advocacy.
- **International development** — Partnerships in disaster relief, maternal and child health, gender equality, water, sanitation and sustainable development.

## Achievements

- Expanded from volunteer-led Canadian meetings in 1882 to a presence in more than 400 communities across Canada and Bermuda.
- Recorded 3 million visits for assistance, 4.8 million community and shelter meals and 8,350 beds provided nightly in the 2024-2025 annual report.
- Invested an average of 87 percent of funding directly into mission over the five years through fiscal 2025.
- Generated C$187.6 million in fiscal 2025 revenue from the sale of donated goods.
- Reported diverting more than 94 million pounds of goods from landfill through its thrift-store system.
- Served 10,871 meals during a 42-day response to the 2024 Alberta wildfires around Jasper and Hinton.
- Supported 524 survivors through its 2024 modern-slavery and human-trafficking response work and helped 73 people exit trafficking situations.
- Raised C$22.7 million through the 2025 Christmas kettle campaign, including C$3.75 million in cashless TipTap donations.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — The Canadian site reported active Emergency Disaster Services responses to wildfires across British Columbia and a returning backpack program for families preparing for school.
- **2026-02** — The organization detailed its Canadian modern-slavery and human-trafficking response, including emergency housing, basic-needs support, referrals and survivor-centred education.
- **2026-01** — The 2025 Christmas kettle campaign reported C$22.7 million raised nationally, including C$3.75 million through cashless TipTap donations.
- **2025-09** — National Recycling Operations assumed oversight of two Saskatchewan thrift stores and a sorting centre; the transitioned stores later reported sales 15 percent over budget.
- **2025-07** — Emergency Disaster Services partnered with FNESS and GlobalMedic to deliver fire-skid units to remote First Nation communities with limited fire services.
- **2025-04** — Grande Prairie's food bank used 75 Costco-donated turkeys to complete Easter hampers for larger families while reducing food waste.

## Links

- Website: https://salvationarmy.ca
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/salvationarmycanada
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/salvationarmy
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/salvationarmy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmycanada/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salvationarmy

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Last updated: 2026-08-23