For 77-year-old Shirley Dolph of Fort Frances, Ont., life after retirement was supposed to be peaceful. Instead, it’s been a constant struggle to keep up with rising living costs.

“I’m a senior on my own with only my fixed Canada pension, and it’s hard,” she says. “I don’t shop a lot, but when I do, there are times that I can’t buy the things I’d like because of the cost.”

Monthly Blessing

Shirley, who retired from her job at Walmart in 2020, represents a growing number of Canadians—seniors, working families and single parents—who are being forced to make impossible choices between life’s essentials.

“Our recent data demonstrates that the increase in the number of first-time food bank users is significant,” says Lt-Colonel John Murray, territorial secretary for communications for The Salvation Army. “Financial stress is widespread. Many families who come to us are skipping meals, cutting back on essentials and going into debt or using savings just to get by.”

Founded in Canada in 1882, The Salvation Army has grown into the country’s largest non-governmental provider of social services. This past year’s Impossible Choices Christmas campaign put a human face on that mission, sharing stories like Shirley’s to show how poverty forces many to choose between food, rent or heat—and how community support can turn those impossible choices into moments of hope.

For people such as Shirley, the situation hits close to home.

“The Salvation Army has been a real blessing,” she says. “I used to help out there as a volunteer, but I always assumed it was only for people who were really down on their luck and had no money at all. When things got tight, I reached out and they encouraged me to make an appointment and apply for help.”

When she did, staff reassured her that she qualified for assistance.

“Now I go get food once a month,” she explains.

“More than half of people accessing food banks are doing so for the very first time, including families with children. These are our friends, our families, our neighbours—and an increasing number of them are turning to The Salvation Army for help.” LT-COLONEL JOHN MURRAY

Building for a Future

Lt-Colonel John says the organization is seeing many more people such as Shirley—those who never expected they’d need help.

“More than half of people accessing food banks are doing so for the very first time, including families with children,” he notes. “These are our friends, our families, our neighbours—and an increasing number of them are turning to The Salvation Army for help.”

Thanks to its donors, The Salvation Army can provide both immediate relief and longer-term support for vulnerable Canadians.

“We offer programming that helps to build capacity, through addiction recovery, job training, housing support programs and more,” Lt-Colonel John explains. “We aim to mitigate their immediate crisis while working with them to establish the building blocks for a more stable future.”

The Answer

That approach—meeting urgent needs while restoring dignity—is what Shirley appreciates most.

“Just reach out,” she says. “For people like me who live payday to payday and still have to eat, it can be tough to stretch it out, so this is a really great service they offer.”

Lt-Colonel John adds that compassion and respect are at the heart of everything The Salvation Army does.

“It’s imperative to offer help without judgment, and we aim to treat everyone who comes to us with respect,” he says. “When we help address immediate needs, we build trust. When we add longer-term supports, we promote the idea of a better future. Everyone deserves to be treated with compassion.”

“It’s just me by myself, and it’s hard with the cost of food and other bills going up,” Shirley says. “I’m pleased that The Salvation Army is here to help anyone who needs it.”

“The Impossible Choices campaign reminds us that the margins are very narrow for many Canadians,” adds Lt-Colonel John “When poverty gives someone an impossible choice, your donation can be their answer.”

Reprinted from The Globe and Mail, December 6, 2025

To learn more about how your support of The Salvation Army is put into action, see: https://salvationist.ca/articles/impossible-choices/