At The Salvation Army Bread of Life Assistance Center, we believe in meeting the basic needs of individuals and families, young and old. These basic needs include food, clothing and household needs. While meeting the physical needs, The Salvation Army staff also offers hope and guidance to those coming in for services.

Basic need services are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm and Friday 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. Individuals or families meet with a staff person in a quiet, confidential setting and determine what type and how much assistance can be provided. The staff keeps themselves apprised of other community resources and community programs which allows them to link and make competent referrals as necessary, to ensure a client's need gets met.

The Salvation Army Bread of Life Assistance Center is designed to provide immediate emergency assistance at an individual/family's greatest point of need. It is not our purpose to duplicate the work of other agencies, but to fill the needs not being met elsewhere. We strive to help those in our community resolve a crisis or emergency with practical aid, personal support, and sincere compassion.

The goal of The Salvation Army is to help clients by offering them a "Hand Up Rather than a Hand Out." The Salvation Army wants clients to become and remain self-sufficient and better stewards of the resources available to them.

How We Help

Pathway of Hope
Pathway of Hope is designed to be a high-impact approach to assistance by focusing on finding the root causes of keeping families from becoming self-sufficient. The program targets families with children in an effort to impact generational poverty.

Our goal is to assist families who are repeating emergency assistance applicants, providing long-term case management to help them move beyond crisis to increased stability while building hope at each step. By targeting families with children, the impact of the initiative is doubled, in that two generations are touched. Studies show children who grow up in poverty are 32 times more likely to be in poverty as adults.

Families accepted will work with trained caseworkers on a long-term intensive case management bases, which concentrates on strengths, providing tools and resources to address their specific barriers to increased stability. When the World says "Give Up." Hope whispers "Try One More Time."

Inmate Restore Hope
This program offers inmates being released the opportunity to sit with a caseworker prior to release and create an action plan that will asset him/her to be released and prepared to continue working towards becoming a contributing member of society

Emergency Expenses
As funds permit, The Salvation Army Bread of Life Assistance Center helps with emergency expenses for a variety of needs:

Utility Assistance
Michigan Energy Assistance Program funding is administered and provides utility assistance to those struggling with gas/electric/ deliverable fuels/ corn pellets/wood/cherry pits etc.

Eyeglasses
In cooperation with The Lions Club, assistance is available to eligible participants. 

The Floriano Community Giving Closet
Our agency host this program which allows us to take in used items and offer them free of charge to our clients.

Special Projects

Thanksgiving / Christmas / Easter Food Baskets

Angel Tree
The Angel Tree program provides those with extreme needs/needs toys at Christmas. 

Bread of Life Backpack Program
The Salvation Army provides fully stocked backpacks with shoes, clothes, and undergarments for children as they go back to school in the fall.

There are no charges for any of our services.

Contact Tara Coss, Director, at (906) 779-5717 or e-mail Tara.Coss@usc.salvationarmy.org to learn more about our basic needs programs.