The Salvation Army in North Bay, Ont., marked the grand opening of its new facility with a weekend of celebration and community events, while also commemorating 130 years of service in the city.

Weekend festivities commenced on Friday, March 28, with a ribbon cutting and open house, inviting people to tour the facility. On Saturday, the church hosted a prayer breakfast followed by an afternoon of family-friendly activities to get to know the community.

The new space, located in a strip mall, is fully accessible and features the food bank and spacious teaching kitchen, a multi-purpose room that can be used for Sunday morning worship, Bible study and prayer meetings, and a connected thrift store.

“We’re being better stewards of our space and the resources that we have,” says Major Stephanie Watkinson, corps officer.

The new thrift store is a welcome addition to the North Bay community after two local thrift stores shut down in 2020. The store will not only provide shoppers with affordable second-hand options for clothing and household items but will also support individuals through community services programs. 

“When we help people with apartment setups, we can reachout to the thrift store,” explains Major Watkinson. “Or if somebodyis looking for clothing for a job interview, our community services worker can walk into the thrift store and help them find what they need.”

According to Major Watkinson, the church is intentional about moving from programs that are just transactional to ones that are transformational, and the key difference is in relationship building. “We’re developing relationships with our clients so that maybe they’ll start attending some of what we call ‘beyond basic needs’ programs, such as financial literacy, or perhaps they are a great potential client for Pathway of Hope.”

Since the new facility began operations in January, it has seen a positive response from the community. “There are a lot of people who love the thrift store, but they never knew we have a food bank, community services or a church,” says Major Watkinson. Now with all three spaces conjoined, anybody who walks in the doors can instantly make a connection to The Salvation Army.

Major Watkinson tells the story of one woman who came into the thrift store to drop off clothing donations. At the same time, the woman mentioned that she had some food donations to take to another local food bank while she was out, but upon realizing that the Army had a food bank on site, she was happy to leave her donation with Major Watkinson.

“As we were installing our new sign outside, we had to redirect people through our community services space into the thrift store, and they walked past a bulletin board displaying our programs,” says Major Watkinson. “One man saw that and ended up coming back the next day with a financial donation.”

For Major Watkinson, establishing this connection between the church and community is top priority. “We are trying to incorporate ministry in every aspect, whether it’s church, family support, community services or the thrift store—it’s all part of working for kingdom growth.”

Photos: Jennifer Ethier