Food Programs

Traverse City Corps Food Programs

The Salvation Army Traverse City Corps has been feeding GENERATIONS of our neighbors in need since 1894 – 132 years!  Last year, our food programs provided nutritious food and meals to 30,000 people throughout our community.  In 2026, we are seeing this need rise significantly as we feed and provide food for our guests each week through our various food programs.

FREE FOOD MARKET

Our Free Food Market is offered WEEKLY on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12 pm to 1 pm (only exception is if we are closed for a holiday) at our Community Center, 1239 Barlow Street, Traverse City, MI 49686, and is open to EVERYONE on a first come, first serve basis.  We partner with Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan to provide fresh produce of fruits and vegetables and canned and boxed foods, fresh bread, frozen meats, dairy, and other food donations that may have come in from local community partners. 

Guests utilizing our market may start to line up inside beginning at 11 am and may bring their own bags or we have plastic grocery bags available. For our fiscal year ending 9/30/25, we distributed 210,540 food items to our neighbors in need.  For your convenience, BATA local transportation does stop at our Community Center helping our guests attend our market.

FREE COMMUNITY LUNCH

We enjoy meeting our guests and welcoming them to our Community Lunch every week at our Community Center, 1239 Barlow Street, Traverse City, MI 49686! Our Free Community Lunch (hot) is offered WEEKLY every Monday and Wednesday, 12 pm to 1 pm, and EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Guests may dine in or choose to get their lunch to go.  Our delicious hot lunches usually consist of a protein, vegetable, starch, dessert, and we offer water to drink. If you have not joined us for lunch, we hope to welcome you and see you soon!  For our fiscal year ending 9/30/2025, we provided 12, 245 community lunches to our neighbors in need! For your convenience, BATA local transportation does stop at our Community Center so guests may enjoy a hot lunch with us.

FOOD PANTRY

Guests who reside in Grand Traverse, Benzie, and Leelanau counties may utilize our Food Pantry once a month which is located inside our Community Center, 1239 Barlow Street, Traverse City, MI 49686.  Our Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 am to 11:30 am and 1 pm to 3 pm.

Guests will need to show unexpired/valid photo ID and complete a short intake form.  A volunteer will assist our guest with going into our Food Pantry so guests may select the foods they would like for their family (amounts vary on size of household).  Our Food Pantry also offers some personal hygiene products and dog/cat food (per availability).