Christmas time wouldn’t be the same without The Salvation Army. More than 700 Salvation Army centres across the UK will be celebrating, with Christmas lunches, carol concerts and present donations.

Christmas

This Christmas, we will be in local communities ensuring that vulnerable people get the happy Christmas they might otherwise have missed out on. 

At our lifehouses – our residential centres for homeless people – there will be a Christmas lunch and modest presents for residents.

At our community centres we will be welcoming lonely older people through our doors to enjoy a festive Christmas meal among friends. 

We will be organising food deliveries, warm second-hand winter clothes and toys to struggling families.

“We had nothing to give the children on Christmas Day until you arrived with your parcel of food and toys. I’ll never forget the kids’ squeals of delight when they opened their presents.” – Sophie,  a mother of a family on a very low income

Food parcels

A Salvation Army spokesperson, said: “We are seeing unprecedented demand at our food banks where the debilitating effects of poverty on people and families are witnessed on a daily basis.”

“Food parcels are only ever an emergency fix – what we need to see is longer term solutions to help the most vulnerable.”

Emergency accommodation during flooding

On Thursday 8 November The Salvation Army’s Charter Row Lifehouse in Sheffield city centre provided safe, dry shelter to rough-sleepers as part of the local authority’s Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) provision that is activated during extreme weather. This vital support can make the difference between life and death for rough sleepers who are already vulnerable to the elements on the streets.