When Abigail Howard started work on a class research project into The Salvation Army, little did she realize the effect it would have on her.

“It showed me how God is faithful through all the volunteers and all the work that gets done that sometimes goes unseen,” she says.

Together with classmate and friend Kyra Ducharme, the high school students not only underwent a learning experience, but their efforts and good work won $5,000 for the Salvation Army food bank in Orillia, Ont.

The Project

As the final assignment for their Grade 10 civics and careers class at Orillia Secondary School, Abigail and Kyra were tasked with researching a charity that shared their values, then presenting their findings to their class. With more than 200 students taking part, they were one of four teams selected to speak in front of a panel of judges made up of faculty and former finalists, after which they were awarded first place.

Youth and Philanthropy Initiative Canada partnered with Orillia Secondary School to provide the funding, something they have done with the institution for seven years.

Though the first stage of the project was to search for and find a charity to research, the girls explained that they were set on The Salvation Army from the beginning. This was due to personal experience and the positive things they had heard about the organization.

Choosing The Salvation Army

Daughter of Captains Josh and Tina Howard, the pastors at Orillia Citadel, Abigail has always been around The Salvation Army. Having been involved with music and day camp programs, as well as having volunteered for family services, she’s begun giving her time to community interactions such as street ministry since moving to Orillia two years ago.

“That’s kind of a new thing for me,” she says. “I’ve been involved in The Salvation Army my whole life, but I haven’t always been super-connected to the different clients and people I’ve volunteered with.”

Abigail’s close connection and involvement with the church and its various initiatives has allowed her to see its work first-hand.

“I don’t think people realize all the different services The Salvation Army offers,” she explains. “Kyra and I wanted to showcase that.”

Kyra, though not a member of The Salvation Army herself, encountered the Army through Abigail.

“We’ve been friends since the start of Grade 9. I hear about all the stuff she does with her church.”

This combined with her own passion for volunteering—primarily through children’s volleyball lessons and summer camps—made it easy to go ahead with Abigail’s suggestion that they choose The Salvation Army for their project.

“When we started researching more, I realized how much they do,” Kyra says. “We listened to some stories of people who have been impacted by The Salvation Army, and this really locked in our choice.”

“I don’t think people realize all the different services The Salvation Army offers.” ABIGAIL HOWARD

An Eye-Opening Experience

Over the course of the project, Abigail and Kyra delved into the social issues The Salvation Army helps with, what these programs are and how many people are impacted, as well as visited local programs to talk to people such as Marilyn vanDeursen, who works at the family services office in Orillia.

“She walked us through the facility and what they specifically do in a day there, and she gave us statistics of how many people they’ve helped over the last year,” recalls Kyra.

Through this in-depth process, they were shown needs in the community that are not always seen or widely addressed. Even Abigail, who has ample experience helping with Salvation Army programs, was unaware of the full scope.

“You don’t always realize how many people need these services and how many people benefit from them or how essential they are for our community,” she says. “Having stats and more information opened my eyes.”

For Kyra, the experience created an even more favourable view of the church and charity organization. Though an empathetic person who “does not like seeing homelessness or the stereotypes that go with it,” Kyra admits that she is not someone who “likes just giving money and would rather buy homeless people a meal or talk to them,” things she believes can help steer them on a better path.

“This experience showed how The Salvation Army doesn’t just do the regular stuff,” Kyra continues. “They do more than other food banks or people handing out money or blankets. It made me want to be a part of that.” 

Beyond the Classroom

Now that the project is complete, the impact from the students’ work is just beginning. With the $5,000 donation from Youth and Philanthropy Initiative Canada, The Salvation Army’s Orillia food bank plans to purchase fresh produce and other food items.

“A lot of people ask for things like milk, meat or vegetables,” Abigail explains. These commodities are things the food bank receives infrequently, are taken quickly, or that people often cannot afford at store locations.

The Salvation Army’s Orillia food bank experienced a 20.5 percent increase in assistance provided in 2023 compared to the previous year.

“Over the last several years, more and more people have faced hardship and needed our assistance,” shares Captain Josh. “We are grateful to be able to provide help and hope, and meet real and everyday needs for neighbours in our community. Through these funds, we’ll be able to offer fresh items that our guests are requesting.”

Abigail and Kyra intend to go shopping with food bank workers, to continue helping combat the suffering of people in Orillia.

“There’s a lot of need that goes unseen or flies under the radar,” Abigail says, reflecting on what she learned. “Seeing all the work The Salvation Army does to address that need—it’s been really inspiring and encouraging.”

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