Salvation Army Provides Important Service
In Thunder Bay
by Scott A. Sumner
www.thunderbaybusiness.ca
When you drive down Cumberland Street toward Current River in Thunder Bay most of us are familiar with the Salvation Army building. This international organization has been located there since 1971 when the former hotel was given to them for a small amount of money.
Since then the organization has grown to include 32 employees providing much needed services to those that require help in Thunder Bay.
The Salvation Army is an international organization based in London England. It was started by a Free Methodist Minister who was walking on London Bridge one day and found a lot of poor people living there. He felt there was something wrong with this and as Christians we are called to help people in need. He wanted to started an organization based on his Christian faith to reach out and help these people. That was the beginning of the Salvation Army Church in 1865. They have been in Thunder Bay since the late 1800’s.
Gail Kromm and Mark Maronese Special Events coordinator of the Salvation Army
“ We are a denomination church on Victoria Ave and a non profit organization. The Salvation Army is now worldwide in scope located in 120 or more countries. Every major city in Canada has a Salvation Army and there are churches located in smaller areas. We are the largest non governmental organization in Canada,” said Gail Kromm, Public Relations & Regional Development Representative Salvation Army. Gail has been with the Salvation Army for 21 years. “ At the start in Thunder Bay we had a department on Simpson St and then had
a hostile near where Shelter house is today. The merchants asked us to move at that time and we got this current location. This is where we have community and residential services. We provide short emergency housing for men 18 years of age and over who need help.
These people with mental health issues need help to live in the community. Some need more support than others. Our staff can help them to remember to take their meds, provide meals or do laundry. We can have 20 people on a longer term basis and 18 in the short term.
We also have the out of the cold program in order to make sure no one is left out in the cold. We have mats we place in our dining room at night where they can sleep. We provide some similar services to the Shelter House does on the Southside. Some people come in off the
highway or truckers drop them off. The police may also bring people here.”
The Salvation Army is also a halfway house for Corrections Canada and have men there who are on day parole. They are there for 4 to 8 months, and have certain conditions for release. They have to refrain from drinking or having weapons. They usually have to reside
at the Salvation Army and have a curfew each night.
“ We have an emergency disaster response unit where this week we helped the firefighters and any residents displaced who needed help from the large house fire. We also have the soup van that goes out each night with one stop on Park Ave just behind Wiggles and Giggles at 7 pm for 1/2 hour. It then goes to Simpson Street near Charry’s Corner by a Lutheran Community Street Outreach Ministry. If that Ministry is open they can take the food inside to eat. There are about 100 people per night using the services ranging all ages from
children to seniors. They get soup and something to eat like a donut as well as a hot drink,” said Kromm. “ On Pearl Street we operate a program out of a building owned by the Thunder Bay District Housing Corporation. Unity Place, is classified for people who are hard to
serve and house. They have multiple problems like mental health issues, addiction issues or developmental issues and are not able to function on their own. We have some support workers there on site with the goal being helping them function on their own. Our staff has
been there for quite a while and have developed a family type relationship.”
In the Family Service area the Salvation Army have the Red Cap Anti Bullying program which goes into elementary schools. It is to help children to learn to cope better with each other, understand their emotions and find better ways of handling upsets. John Wilson
is the School Community Service Worker at the Salvation army. “ We go to schools over the lunch hour and teach kids who have behavioral problems about anger management and give them some tools to try and calm themselves down a little bit and stay out of trouble. The kids
are 8 to 12 years old and getting ready for transition to high schools. It is going really well and our program is in high demand. I am booked all the way until June. The school picks the kids to come into the program and we also try to get some student leaders to come in to help rub off on the others.” said John Wilson.
The Food Bank operates every week and the Salvation Army have some community dinners at Christmas provided by the Valhalla Inn and Thanksgiving by the Thunder Bay Firefighters. They get almost 300 people out to those nights.
“ I enjoy the work I do in my role and like to be part of an organization that is doing something for others. I would always want to do something where I can improve and give to our community. My job is administrative in nature raising funds, but the programs need our
help to operate. The Christmas Kettle Campaign was a very good success raising $129,000. It did seem as more people are out of work here in Thunder Bay, others are reaching out even more to help and caring for each other,” said Kromm. “ We can see the success of our
work. People come in, pull their lives together and come back and share how their lives are going. People can get into trouble because of mental health issues, addictions issues and can have problems with the law or family problems. Some of it is just because of poverty. There is poverty in Thunder Bay and those are the people we are reaching out to. There are homeless people, some from their own choosing and others because of circumstances beyond their control. If you have mental health issues you may have problems eg
not making their welfare reports so they don’t get the money and are kicked out of their homes.”
Cathy Oleschuk in charge of the Soup Vans which have been on the road in Thunder Bay for 15 years now. “ Most nights we are averaging about 100 people, all ages and from all walks of life. For many people who come to the soup van that’s the only meal they
get in a day. Some people come for the socialization and the feeling of belonging some where and meeting with people they see regularly. During the winter months we have clothing we give out from the van as well to offer to people who come by. In the winter the need is
greater. When you see a women with three little children in 40 below weather you know they really need the meal.” said Cathy Oleschuk.
Major Mervin Halverson is the Executive Director of the Salvation Army, a third generation of his family in the field and trained as a minister. “ You apply to go to Seminary and take courses before and afterwards. The seminary is in Winnipeg now and is a 2 year program with the pre training and 5 years post. My wife is the Minister at the Salvation Army Church here. Our family see it as a calling. My wife is 4th generation Salvation Army,” said Mervin
Halverson.
“ I believe we are one of those organizations that really help the unfortunate- the working poor, the homeless or the corrections people who need special care, food ,clothing and blankets. We can only do what we do because of the support the public gives us. The Kettle and Red Shield campaign keeps our work going.”
