Who We Are

The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 by a Methodist street preacher named William Booth. He worked with people in the slums of East London. In 1880, The Salvation Army began work in the United States and in a few short years, the ministry of The Salvation Army spread across the country.

The first street meetings in Eau Claire were held in 1886 and provided entertaining reading in the local paper. Since that time, The Salvation Army has occupied many different storefronts and buildings including downtown on Grand Avenue. We have been at our current location on Business 53 since 2004.

The Salvation Army is an international movement located in over 100 countries around the world. We have been serving the communities in western Wisconsin for 100 years.

Today we have a variety of programs to meet the needs of the people in the communities we serve. Last year we served over 300,000 meals to more than 40,000 people. We provided shelter for 1,000 individuals, helped them find jobs and taught them how to take control of their lives.

The Salvation Army has a long history of service that is founded in our Christian faith and doctrine.