The only thing you may know about The Salvation Army is that we ring bells and ask for donations to our kettles at Christmas. If that's the case, you're not alone.
Surveys show that people think of us positively despite a real knowledge of who we are and what we do. What we are is a church . . . a Christian church whose mission is to help ease the suffering of humanity in Jesus' name. (for the formal mission statement click here)
The Salvation Army started in 1865 in London, England. It came to Mobile, Alabama in 1887. For 124 years, we've sheltered the homeless, helped addicts reclaim their lives, given homeless women and children a safe haven, responded to disasters, made sure thousands of children in need had a gift at Christmas and fed the hungry. It is what we're still doing today.