Eugene Salvation Army relocating to Springfield, temporarily closing food pantry

Alan Torres, Eugene Register-Guard
Updated ·2 min read
The Salvation Army announced its move out of its Eugene location on the corner of 7th Avenue and Jefferson Street Friday, April 5.
The Salvation Army announced its move out of its Eugene location on the corner of 7th Avenue and Jefferson Street Friday, April 5.

The Salvation Army announced Friday that it is relocating from its central Eugene office to Springfield while moving to a more mobile model.

The Salvation Army's food pantry closed Tuesday, and the organization said it will resume food assistance "within the next few weeks" after it moves into a temporary location. The Salvation Army will base operations out of that temporary location until it moves into its new permanent location, both of which are in Springfield. For utility assistance during those weeks, the Salvation Army will complete screenings over the phone at (541) 343-3328.

"I want to just be very, very clear, … the Salvation Army is not abandoning Lane County or Eugene," Jonathan Harvey, Divisional Commander for the Salvation Army Cascade Division, told the Register-Guard. "We simply have sold that property and are relocating."

Harvey said the move would enhance service, saying the new facility is larger and that the group also plans to start providing more mobile services, such as the homeless outreach it offers in the Portland area.

The move came faster than expected because the building sold sooner than he thought it would, Harvey said. The Salvation Army's press release said "the new owners will begin occupying the space immediately."

Harvey said the Salvation Army has secured the new permanent location but did not want to publicly share it. "There's a potential that individuals will read that in the newspaper and then try going to that location and get services," he said. "We don't want to have people showing up and not being able to get help where they go."

Harvey said the Salvation Army would share more information in the next few weeks.

FOOD For Lane County Executive Director Carolyn Stein said the Eugene location "will be missed" In a press release Friday. The agency has encouraged people to call 541-343-2822 if they need help finding a food pantry.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene Salvation Army relocating, says switching to mobile model