If you’ve been out and about on a December day in Thunder Bay, you may have heard the classic sound of bells rung by Salvation Army volunteers. Perhaps you’ve been greeted by a volunteer bell ringer during your holiday shopping, or dropped some cash into one of their red kettles. The holiday season is back now, and during this month, the Thunder Bay Salvation Army Journey to Life Centre will once again be ringing bells throughout the city.
But what are volunteers ringing bells for? And what does the Journey to Life Centre do? As it turns out—quite a lot. The five-week Christmas Kettle Campaign is just a small fraction of the Journey to Life Centre’s presence in Thunder Bay; every day of the year, for over 100 years, they’ve been working to meet the essential needs of people in the community, from housing to job training and hot meals to warm winter clothes.
The Salvation Army was started in London, England, in 1865. Initially founded to serve the poor of London’s East End, they now operate in 134 countries, and have had a presence in Canada since 1882. Central to their work is providing free services such as food, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and disaster relief. In 1917, a Salvation Army Hostel opened in Thunder Bay, and over a century later are still working in the community.
Gail Kromm, the Journey to Life Centre’s engagement manager, said that the Salvation Army’s role in the community is to improve lives and provide practical solutions to some of the most pressing issues people face today—things like food insecurity, lack of housing, addiction, and the need for mental health support.
“We want to make things better for people and help people find solutions,” Kromm said.
One of the solutions they help provide is housing, including long-term supported housing and emergency shelter for men. They also run the Journey to Life Program, a 1.5-year residential program designed to help men overcome barriers to employment and housing. Participants are provided with a studio apartment as well as job training, life skills training, and other wellness support.
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“The programming is designed to address all of these barriers, with the goal that participants can move out and be successful in the community,” Kromm said.
In addition to housing needs, the Journey to Life Centre also works to address another vital need: food. Through their food bank, school breakfast program, and soup van, the Journey to Life Centre provides hundreds of daily, free meals to people in Thunder Bay. Kromm said the soup van goes out 365 nights a year to two different stops in the city, offering hot meals and warm winter clothing to people of all ages.
“The soup van has anywhere from 75-150 people a night that they’re serving. It’s for anybody who might be struggling financially and for whom a meal at night helps,” Kromm said. “On Christmas Day we do takeout Christmas dinners, which is a full turkey dinner in a takeout container, and we do things like give out gifts, sing Christmas carols, or have Santa there, just to make it special and festive for the people who come out.”
Christmas brings us back to the Christmas Kettle Campaign that has become so emblematic of the Salvation Army’s work. In Thunder Bay, volunteers will be ringing bells at 12 different locations throughout the city, all the way until December 24. Not only is the campaign a way to spread holiday cheer, but it’s crucial to the programming that the Journey for Life Centre provides—Kromm said a considerable portion of their programmatic funding is raised during these five weeks. And just as crucial is the volunteer power to make it happen.
“It’s a lot of volunteer shifts to fill, but we continually hear from volunteers that they really enjoy it, and that being out in the community is an uplifting experience,” Kromm said. “All of the money raised is the community and the local services that the Army is providing. It’s a very direct way to help people here.”
Kromm noted that donations for winter necessities are especially welcome this time of year, including socks and underwear, hats and mitts, sweatshirts and pants, winter jackets, and hygiene items. Donations of dishes, cutlery, and cleaning supplies are also needed for transitional housing program residents.
More information about the Journey to Life Centre, including programs and volunteering, can be found online at: journeytolifecentre.com.
