Sarnia's Salvation Army is expanding its services to meet the growing needs of the community.
Captain Brad Webster said starting April 3, they're launching the new mobile meal program in partnership with the County of Lambton.
"We've been adapting to meet the evolving needs of our community," said Webster. "We'll be serving hot meals at three low income housing sites, once per week. We'll be rotating weekly and providing about 200 meals per location. Those sites include Kathleen Avenue, Roger Street, and 914 Confederation Street."
Webster noted the initiative goes beyond food.
"It allows the Salvation Army to build relationships with folks in those communities," he said. "It allows us also to connect them to our other programs which we run here. Those include rent and utility assistance, medical and dental care, summer camps and more. While there are many foodbanks in Sarnia, I believe there's been little direct outreach to low income housing communities."
The Salvation Army's food bank hours were also shifted as of April 1 to accommodate the expanded outreach.
They'll be serving the community Tuesdays to Fridays from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m., and doing away with the 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. time slot.
Webster believes this will be more effective in terms of assisting those who need it most.
"We believe the program is the missing piece in the broader fight against poverty here in Sarnia," he said. "We're addressing the concerns of individuals and we're meeting them where people live. We're bringing the support to them in a space where they kind of feel more at ease. It overcomes those barriers as well to those families who may have barriers in place that prevent them from getting into the food bank."
According to the Salvation Army's mission statement, the organization exists to "share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world."