The Salvation Army’s 2025 year comes to a close and reopens with new hopes and growth for 2026

Jennifer Morris, community and family services manager at The Salvation Army Food Bank.

By Alex Hunt

The Salvation Army Stratford- St. Marys Regional Community Ministries finished off a high-demand year with learning opportunities for the next generation.

The local Girl Guides visited The St. Marys Salvation Army Foodbank on Dec. 16 to help sort food and give back to their community.

“Community service is an important part of our mandate,” said Gwyneth Hall, Girl Guide leader. “This provides a great opportunity for the girls to learn about local needs and see firsthand how we work to support the community. It also gives them experiences and opportunities they might not otherwise have.”

Community and family services manager Jennifer Morris said the Girl Guide visits hold a special place in her heart. She gets joy from watching young kids feel like they’re making a difference in the community.

“My hope is for them to know that what they do with The Salvation Army makes a difference,” said Morris. “They’re building and learning skills that will serve them in the future, and I hope that this experience makes a positive impact on them as well.”

Morris said the biggest accomplishment for this year was the efforts made by staff and volunteers to meet the increased demand from the community. She also made special mention of the Salvation Army’s community partners, which help ensure the team did not fall behind in service delivery expectations.

The St. Marys Christmas Hamper handouts saw 121 hampers go to support community households. A total of 2,637 pounds of food were collected from food drives stationed at Your Independent Grocer, Foodland and at Milt Dunnell Park during the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan.

The final number of donations received from community donors and the Christmas Kettle Campaign is to be announced at the end of the month. As of Dec. 20, the Kettle Campaign brought in $47,127.65, and $64,293.13 was brought in from community donors. From Stratford, St. Marys, and Mitchell, Morris said that the goal is to raise $385,000 collectively.

A volunteer appreciation event will be held at the end of the month to celebrate this year’s success and the work of volunteers.

“Going into the new year, we’re looking forward to building new community partnerships so we can expand our operations for new programs that complement the ones that we currently provide,” said Morris. “We want to continue serving people to the best of our abilities.”