MESSAGE FROM THE DIVISIONAL COMMANDER
Finding hope during a difficult year This past year has been unlike any other we have experienced as officers and staff in The Salvation Army. In British Columbia—and around the world—people grappled with COVID-19 while trying to manage their day-to-day lives, ourselves included. The devastation and uncertainty of it all has driven many into hardship, while others remained resilient. At The Salvation Army, we did what we always do: we kept our doors open to serve those in need… and the need was great. In some areas we experienced an increase for services that far outpaced anything we’ve ever tried to manage. Shelter and community meal programs saw an increase in demand, which exceeded 200–300 per cent in some communities. People who were once gainfully employed found themselves in our food lines, while others sought help through our shelters. On top of the hardships people faced due to the pandemic, in British Columbia we were and are also fighting one of the worst healthcare crises in our history. People are dying on our streets in the thousands due to tainted drug supplies. With the pandemic limiting our abilities to serve those battling addictions, at times we felt helpless. But in the face of adversity, our staff across the province never wavered and they rose to the challenge. We kept our doors open and our programs and services running to serve those battling addictions. While we had to reduce our capacity in some areas, we remained steadfast in our commitment to serve. But we did not do this work alone. We received an incredible outpouring of generosity from British Columbians and Canadians. Everyone from individual donors to the corporate community to provincial and federal government. We are truly blessed to have received the type of support that enabled us to serve our communities. We even partnered with other non-profit agencies—thank you Union Gospel Mission and the Christian Leadership group—to ensure those in our communities who needed support, received support. As we look ahead to the coming year, we do it with optimism. As people get vaccinated and we begin to return to some sort of normalcy, we will use the lessons learned to improve our program and service delivery, while creating efficiencies to make your dollar go even further.
Lt. Colonel Jamie Braund
Lt. Colonel Ann Braund
Lt. Colonel Jamie Braund, Divisional Commander ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021 THE SALVATION ARMY
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