As the Salvation Army faces a steep spike in people accessing the food bank, a larger space required to accommodate the need has moved the thrift store to a new location.

The Salvation Army Thrift Store's new location is set to open at the Midtown Mall at 2707 43rd Ave. (Dollar Tree and BDM Motorsports) on Friday, Jan. 10.

Local dignitaries, community leaders, and media will attend the 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony which will be open to the public. Refreshments will also be served from the now-familiar Salvation Army Emergency Van. Shopping will begin after the ceremony.

鈥淭he new thrift store location will benefit from more ample parking in the Midtown Mall," said Lt. Neil Thompson, Corps Officer of the Salvation Army Community Church. "It will also be part of a thrift store hub, joining the Habitat for Humanity and Kindale Thrift Store."

The new, more central Vernon location also makes it easier for donors as they can now avoid having to pass donated items up to a loading dock, which Thompson explains was the case at the old thrift store location on 24th Street.

The move also allows the Salvation Army to finally move ahead with the much-needed expansion of its Vernon Food Bank, which is currently located inside the Salvation Army Community Church.

The new food bank will be quadruple in size at the new location near Walmart.

This massive increase in size is necessitated by the steep increase in demand for food bank services.

This has risen in step with rising food prices and an alarming level of general food insecurity across most of Canada.

The new, larger space will enable the food bank to install large commercial fridges and freezers so that they can accept larger donations requiring refrigeration.

The larger floor space also makes it easier for the 鈥渃hoice鈥� model for people attending the food bank, allowing people to choose the items they want instead of being provided with pre-made food hampers.

The Food Bank currently provides 1,100 people per month with groceries, with 32 per cent of them being youth and children under the age of 18.

In December more than 700 families received Christmas food hampers. This was a 40 per cent increase over 2023.

Thompson says that this unprecedented need is why they are trying to expedite the required renovations so that the new food bank can open in May.

Donations for the capital building project are welcome and appreciated. Visit  for more.