Who We Are
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination. Locally, The Salvation Army provides emergency financial and food assistance. We provide lunch, free of charge, Monday through Friday, all year round. In the summertime, we also provide free lunch to children in five different locations throughout the Mankato area. We offer church services, adult Sunday School and Bible Study, and Mens and Womens groups. We run a mens shelter, housing 23 men per night between November and April. We serve as the clearinghouse for Christmas programs including Toys for Tots, Christmas Food Baskets,and Holiday Sharing Tree. We run a free "Bundle Me Warm" store stocked with winter outer wear from October through January. We pack backpacks full of school supplies for children in the fall. We run a thrift store at 201 Star Street, and we run a residential housing facility for formerly homeless people called Maxfield Place.
What We Do
In the late 1800's in England, our founder William Booth wanted to bring people out of the streets and slums into the church. At that time, the people already active in the church weren't willing to welcome this new population. As a result, Booth began preaching in the streets to the people where they lived. He quickly became aware that people were unable to accept the Word of God, or make any positive changes in their lives if their basic needs weren't being met. From there, our emphasis on social services to provide food, clothing and shelter was born.
