Ground will be broken Tuesday on the new location for the Salvation Army in Niles.
The Salvation Army’s Major Nick Montgomery tells us they’re moving out of their current facility on North 15th Street, a former church that dates back to around World War II.
“We really needed to have a new facility because this facility is literally falling apart,” Montgomery said. “It’s unsafe. It’s really not conducive to serve our neighbors here and our community in a very effective and practical way.”
Montgomery says the effort to get a new building started about 15 years ago, although the fundraising really only picked up in the last couple of years.
What will the new building include?
“The center will have a full commercial kitchen. It’ll have a dining room where folks are able to come in to eat the hot meals that we provide. And then we have, obviously, our food pantry, where folks are able to come in for food.”
Montgomery says it will have a walk-in food pantry that will enable those served to come in and select what they want, rather than being given a bag prepared by Salvation Army volunteers.
The groundbreaking will be at 10 a.m. at 1707 Miller Drive, the location of the new $3.8 million facility. It’s hoped the building will be finished by the end of the year.
Pictured: the current Salvation Amy facility.
