Not many Los Angeles non-profit organizations can say they’ve been hard at work for the less fortunate since 1887, but The Salvation Army would be an exception. The organization’s roots can be traced back to the corner of Broadway and Temple in downtown Los Angeles on May 8 1887. That’s where, 125 years ago, members of The Salvation Army planted their flag and held their first open air meeting, beginning a social service movement that has expanded, evolved and grown to be one of the hallmark institutions in the city.

Prior to the meeting, a Corps had been established in a crude hall in the Skid Row area on Los Angeles Street. The Corps’ roll book records the first officer as being appointed on January 1, 1887. In 1892, the corps moved to First Street where The Salvation Army occupied almost the entire block with a Metropole (men’s transient hotel) and a Men’s Industrial complex, the forerunner of the Adult Rehabilitation Center. In 1899, The Salvation Army opened a rescue home for “fallen women” in Los Angeles known as Booth Memorial Center.

The Salvation Army’s work expanded quickly in Los Angeles with the opening of other Corps and facilities for social welfare programs. For example, The Salvation Army Los Angeles Day Care Center opened in 1920 for mothers working to assist the war effort.

That Day Care Center is still in operation today and myriad other programs have taken root and prospered as well that provide assistance to families living with HIV/AIDS, men and women working to overcome addictions, disabled veterans, senior citizens trying to live on a fixed income, and children who need a safe refuge from gangs roaming the streets.