Founded in Canada in 1882, The Salvation Army has grown into the country’s largest nongovernmental provider of social services. This past year’s Impossible Choices Christmas campaign put a human face on that mission, sharing stories 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.

Atti Houshangi arrived in Vancouver in 2023, escaping political oppression and civil unrest in her native Iran. With no friends or family, the transition was difficult, but The Salvation Army stepped in. “They made me feel at home. They gave me a bed, food and everything I needed,” Atti says.

The repercussions of a 14-year-old accident continued to plague Kristin Ostensen until a conversation with her physiotherapist. Could Kristin love her scars? And in doing so, she found herself thinking about Jesus—His death on the cross, His Resurrection, and His scars.

Sometimes Diane Stark worries that her overly chattiness makes people uncomfortable, but God created each of us uniquely because He has a special role for each of us. And if Diane's was to share a bag of hard candy and pray, she is happy to play her part.

The Salvation Army carries Easter from their churches into the streets, food banks, shelters, hospitals, homes and every place where hope is needed most.

The Salvation Army in Milton, Ont., offers a safe location for the Support House’s mobile health van team.

When Salman made the bold decision to pursue freedom to live out his Christian faith in Canada, The Salvation Army was there for him. “I have learned and grown in so many ways,” he says. “The church has truly been a guiding light in my life.”

Mercy isn’t simply feeling sorry for someone and empathizing with their plight. It’s knowing we can make a person who’s wronged us suffer for their wrong—and choose instead to set them free. 

 Today, Kyle Chiasson is a successful business owner giving back to the organization that once walked alongside him: The Salvation Army.

Faith & Friends interviewed hockey icon Ron MacLean in Toronto after he was the keynotespeaker at the Hope in the City breakfast, the traditional kickoff of TheSalvation Army’s kettle season.