Salvation Army

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Lore & Background

The Salvation Army refers to its ministers as "officers". When they are acting in their official capacities, they can often be recognised by the colour-coded epaulettes on their white uniform dress shirts. The epaulettes have the letter "S" embroidered on them in white. Officer ranks include lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, commissioner, and general. Promotion in rank from lieutenant to major depends primarily on years of service. Officers are given "marching orders" to change ministries within the Salvation Army. Usually, officers are given new marching orders every two to five years and reassigned to different posts, sometimes moving great distances. The Salvation Army permits the ordination of women. Salvation Army officers were previously allowed to marry only other officers (this rule varied in different countries); but this rule has been relaxed in recent years. Husbands and wives usually share the same rank and have the same or similar assignments. Such officer-couples are assigned together to act as co-pastors and to administer corps (churches), Adult Rehabilitation Centres, and such. The Army has churches throughout the world, known as Salvation Army corps. These serve as churches and community centres. Traditionally, many corps buildings are also called temples or citadels. The Salvation Army is well-known for its network of thrift stores or charity shops—colloquially referred to as "Sally Army" shop's in the United Kingdom and "the Sally Ann" in Canada and the United States, "Salvos Stores" in Australia, and "Sally's" in New Zealand—which raise money for its rehabilitation programs by selling donated used items such as clothing, housewares, and toys. Clothing collected by Salvation Army stores that is not sold on location is often sold wholesale on the global secondhand clothing market. The Salvation Army's fundraising shops in the United Kingdom participated in the UK government's Work Programme, a workfare programme in which benefit claimants had to work for no compensation for 20 to 40 hours per week over periods as long as six months. When people buy items at Salvation Army thrift stores, part of the proceeds go toward The Salvation Army's emergency relief efforts and programs. Textile items not sold are recycled and turned into other items such as carpet underlay. The Salvation Army sometimes hires felons, depending on the circumstances. Some Salvation Army locations are associated with an Adult Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in which men and women make a six-month rehabilitation commitment to live and work at the ARC residence. They are unpaid, but provided with room and board. Many ARCs are male-only. The program is primarily to combat addiction. Residents work at a warehouse, store, or residence. This is referred to as "work therapy". They attend classes, twelve-step programs, and chapel services as a part of the program. The Army advertises these programs on their collection trucks with the slogan "Doing the Most Good". An ARC is typically associated with a main store and a warehouse. Donations are consolidated from other stores and donation sites, sorted and priced, and then distributed back out to the branch stores. Low-quality donated items are sometimes sold at the warehouse dock in a "dock sale". Farmland at Hadleigh in Essex featured market gardens, orchards, and two brickfields. It was mentioned in the Royal Commission report of 1909, which was appointed to consider Poor Laws. 7,000 trainees had passed through its doors by 1912 with more than 60% subsequently finding employment. It has headquarter offices internationally, nationally, and for each territory and division. Some of its other facilities and programs include: Homeless hostels, Residential addiction dependency programs, Children's after-school programs, Children's homes, Children's summer camps, Homes for elderly persons, Adult day care centres, Mother and baby homes, Women's and men's refuge centres, General hospitals, Schools, Maternity hospitals, Food pantries, Overnight warming stations, Cooling stations.

In Their Own Story

Rain slicks the asphalt of Route 13 as you approach the rusted red truck blocking the shoulder. The Salvation Army logo is faded but visible through grime and dried mud. Inside, the driver's seat is empty, save for a cold cup of coffee and a notebook left open on the dash. No bodies lie nearby, just silence broken by distant groans from the woods.

Reader's Guide

The Salvation Army represents the background infrastructure of pre-outbreak America rather than an active conflict faction in Project Zomboid. They do not possess goals, members, or military strength within the current timeline. Their role is purely environmental, serving as world-building elements that highlight the scale of societal collapse. Players may find their trucks looted for parts or supplies, but they offer no protection or quests. Unlike the CDC or Military, who actively hunt survivors or zombies, this organization ceased to function once the infection began. They are a static part of the landscape, illustrating how quickly aid networks crumble when order dissolves completely.

Did You Know?

• The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 as the 'East London Christian Mission' by Methodist preacher William Booth and his wife Catherine, tracing its origins to the Blind Beggar Tavern.
• As of 2023, the international leader and CEO of The Salvation Army is General Lyndon Buckingham.
• The Salvation Army is the largest non-government provider of social services in the United States, with expenditures of US$3.6 billion in 2022, assisting more than 32 million people in the U.S. alone.
• The Salvation Army does not observe sacraments such as Baptism and Holy Communion, differing from other Methodist denominations.
• Officers in the Salvation Army use military-style ranks like lieutenant, captain, major, and general, and are given 'marching orders' to change ministries every two to five years.