• The Salvation Army is committed to serving men, women, and children in need on a daily basis without discrimination, by:
• Providing basic needs services such as food, rental and utility assistance, and case management support for families in distress
• Helping youth overcome a number of obstacles including poverty, violence, overcrowded and failing schools, and the influence of drugs and illegal activities
• Providing a safety net for homeless individuals looking to make necessary life changes
• Providing supportive services through our homeless programs to veterans and recovering addicts
• Providing basic health services to lowincome and homeless individuals
• Providing educational training and skills enhancement to those looking to regain control of their lives, or to children who simply need a helping hand
• Filling a critical need for housing for lowincome seniors, as well as assisting them in managing escalating housing costs
• Responding to disasters by ensuring that the most vulnerable members of our community receive shelter, food, and assistance in rebuilding their lives
• Measuring, communicating and learning from the impact of our efforts

Soon after beginning his ministerial career in England in 1852, William Booth abandoned the concept of the traditional church pulpit in favor of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ directly to the people. Walking the streets of London, he preached to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute.

When fellow clergymen disagreed with Booth’s unconventional approach, he and his wife Catherine withdrew from the church to train evangelists throughout England. The couple returned to the East End of London in 1865, where many followers joined their fight for the souls of lost men and women. Within 10 years, their organization, operating under the name “The Christian Mission," had over 1,000 volunteers and evangelists.

Thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards were among their first converts to Christianity. And soon, those converts were also preaching and singing in the streets as living testimonies to the power of God.

When Booth read a printer's proof of the 1878 “Christian Mission” annual report, he noticed the statement "The Christian Mission is a volunteer army." Crossing out the words "volunteer army," he penned in "Salvation Army." From those words came the basis of the foundation deed of The Salvation Army.

From that point onward, converts became soldiers of Christ and were known then, as now, as Salvationists. They launched an offensive throughout the British Isles that, in spite of violence and persecution, converted 250,000 Christians between 1881 and 1885. Their message spread rapidly, gaining a foothold in America and soon after Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Iceland, and Germany.

Today, The Salvation Army is active in virtually every corner of the world and serves in over 100 countries, offering the message of God’s healing and hope to all those in need.

In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He only had one major hurdle to overcome -- funding the project.

 Where would the money come from, he wondered. He lay awake nights, worrying, thinking, praying about how he could find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city's poorest individuals on Christmas Day. As he pondered the issue, his thoughts drifted back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called "Simpson's Pot" into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.

The next day Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, "Keep the Pot Boiling." He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.

Six years later, the kettle idea spread from the west coast to the Boston area. That year, the combined effort nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy. In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists more than four-and-a-half million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time periods.

Captain McFee's kettle idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but all across the world. Kettles are now used in such distant lands as Korea, Japan, Chile and many European countries. Everywhere, public contributions to Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts at helping those who would otherwise be forgotten.

National Doughnut Day was first celebrated in Chicago in 1938 to help the needy during the Great Depression and commemorate the work of the “doughnut lassies” who served soldiers during World War I. Today, the first Friday in June each year marks an important date in American food history and raises awareness for the critical services that The Salvation Army provides to those in need each day.

In order to raise needed funds during the Great Depression The Salvation Army began honoring 250 World War I volunteers and lassies, on the first “National Doughnut Day” in 1938. Among those honored were Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance who came up with the idea of frying doughnuts in soldiers’ helmets near the front lines as a quick treat. The doughnuts became an instant hit that was brought back to America by returning “doughboys.”

National Salvation Army Week, typically observed in the second week of May, was first declared by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. In the proclamation, Eisenhower noted: "Among Americans, The Salvation Army has long been a symbol of wholehearted dedication to the cause of human brotherhood. Their work has been a constant reminder to us all that each of us is neighbor and kin to all Americans, giving freely of themselves, the men and women of The Salvation Army have won the respect of us all."

In 2001, President George W. Bush issued a new proclamation recognizing the week, stating: “During this week, I encourage Americans to express their appreciation for the Salvation Army's good works and to follow their example of serving a cause greater than themselves.”

Today, Salvation Army service units, along with volunteers, businesses and government, celebrate National Salvation Army Week through a variety of special events and activities across the country.