Looking back at 140 years of serving the community at the Lockport Salvation Army

May 10—Throughout its 140-year history, the Lockport Salvation Army has undoubtedly seen countless changes.

Whether it was its leadership or places it called home throughout the Lock City, its scores of majors, board members and volunteers will agree that its underlying mission has remained unchanged — serving the needs of its community.

"There's a lot of needs in the community and the Salvation Army's always there," advisory board chairperson Mike Landers said. "So we're really proud that the community helps support us and in trying to help us with the needs because you can see the needs are getting greater and greater."

One of the last major anniversary celebrations occurred in 1984, to commemorate the Lockport organization's centennial. At the time, then-majors Edsel and Marion Wheatley took it upon themselves to compile a comprehensive history of the organization to that point.

"During this year, our thoughts turn to the past," Wheatley wrote. "As we searched the history of the Lockport Corps during these past months, we have been reminded of our wonderful heritage."

The origins of the Salvation Army in Lockport can be traced back to March 1884 when Captain William Evans established its first headquarters at the corner of Niagara and Canal streets. He would soon go on to establish more Salvation Army ministries in the midwestern United States throughout the late 19th century.

However, it appeared that a more permanent home for the organization's operations did not come until much later.

According to their research, no Salvation Army officers were stationed in Lockport between 1885 and 1892. The first formally recorded address was at 123 Main St. in April 1892.

From 1906 through the 1960s, the Army held several locations including sites on East Avenue as well as Ontario, South Transit, Pine, Locust and Walnut Streets. They would ultimately settle at their current citadel at 50 Cottage St. in 1968.

In 1982, an addition to the building, including a new kitchen was dedicated under the Wheatley's.

Not too long after the addition to the citadel, Majors Ron and Linda Lee arrived in 1984.

Ron Lee recalls how that newly installed kitchen became utilized for one of the most unique and longest-running causes in the Lockport Salvation Army's history — a soup kitchen.

"We were already doing the food pantry, but we hadn't done meal programs or facilities until the new kitchen was put in," Ron said.

Sister Mary Loretto and Jo Roberts, the former director of the Grace Episcopal Food Pantry organized their first soup kitchen inside German Lutheran Church in 1983.

At the time, Roberts said, there was a need to provide meals for people living in one-room apartments with no cooking facilities.

The operation gradually grew and — as Sister Mary Loretto once put it in a file article on the facility's history — referred to it as a place for the "hungry, lonely, depressed and those one-room dwellers."

Conflicts between soup kitchen operations and church activities later prompted a public call from both women for possible other accommodations. An archive article by former US&J writer Cindy Meal noted that they published their needs in the newspaper and were offered the use of the Veterans of Foreign Wars facilities until they found a permanent home.

That's when the Lees first heard about the soup kitchen's plight and entertained the idea of bringing it into the citadel.

"We talked to her to see if she was interested. We told her she could run it and it could be a win-win for both organizations. After some thought and prayer, she accepted the offer. It was obvious that it was a needed program," Ron recalled.

From there, the Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Community Soup Kitchen was born.

In 1986, their services expanded further with the opening of a thrift store located at 58 West Avenue. The store provided funding to the men's adult rehabilitation center in Kenmore, according to a US&J archive article from that same year.

The store's original building was demolished in 1998 and subsequently moved out to 5770 South Transit Road before closing altogether at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Into the 21st century, the citadel on Cottage Street has continued to provide its service and ministries to the Lock City.

An archive article by former US&J editor and current advisory board member Anne Calos noted that the $3 million project included single-floor additions and a newly installed second floor in an effort to expand their programming spaces in 2011.

To celebrate the milestone, a number of public activities are planned for next week, including:

—Monday — Tours of the 50 Cottage St. building from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

—Tuesday — "Cans, Cases & Cash" fundraiser hosted by WLVL from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

—Wednesday — A rededication of the Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Soup Kitchen at 9:30 a.m. as well as a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at 6 that evening.

"It's an effort to bring awareness and remind the community of what we're doing. For folks that have never seen what we do, this is a place for them to come, too," current Lockport Salvation Army Major Tom Duperree said.