The Salvation Army Northern Division is headquartered at 2445 Prior Avenue N. in Roseville, Minnesota 55113. The division serves every county in Minnesota and every county in North Dakota. The two-state coverage often gets confused with broader claims (some published references list five or six states), but the official division coverage is Minnesota and North Dakota only. Captain Joshua Polanco serves as General Secretary and Twin Cities Commander. Nearly 20,000 volunteers help the Northern Division serve in small towns, big cities, and everywhere in between across the two states. Operations include corps community centers throughout the Twin Cities, Greater Minnesota, and North Dakota, plus the Minneapolis Adult Rehabilitation Center at 900 N. 4th Street, the Booth Brown House at 1471 Como Avenue in St. Paul, the Rochester Worship and Service Center, and the Minot, North Dakota thrift store at 1933 S Broadway.
The year-round work in Minnesota and North Dakota looks much like Salvation Army operations everywhere: emergency rent and utility assistance, food shelves and hot meal programs, overnight shelter, addiction recovery, after-school and summer youth programs, holiday assistance, and disaster response. What sets the Northern Division apart is the depth of Twin Cities institutional infrastructure (Salvation Army operations in Minneapolis date to 1885), the extreme winter heating cost burden that drives heavy emergency utility assistance demand from November through April, and the rural coverage across both states where Salvation Army corps are often the only organized emergency assistance available.
The Northern Division publishes its six areas of service as: meeting basic needs, housing, counseling, rehabilitation, disaster relief, and youth development. This framing captures the breadth of operations from emergency food assistance and rent help (basic needs), through Booth Brown House and other transitional housing (housing), Adult Rehabilitation Center programming (rehabilitation), tornado and severe winter weather response (disaster), and Boys and Girls Clubs partnerships and youth program offerings (youth development).
The Salvation Army Twin Cities operations are the largest single hub in the Northern Division. Twin Cities Salvation Army at 2445 Prior Avenue N., Roseville (the divisional headquarters address) coordinates Minneapolis and St. Paul operations. Multiple service centers handle daily food shelf operations, emergency assistance intake, and case management.
Minneapolis service centers include the North Lyndale Avenue Salvation Army at 2024 Lyndale Avenue N. (food shelf hours Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday 8:30-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m., Thursday 1-3 p.m.); the Minneapolis Temple Worship and Service Center at 1604 East Lake Street (hot meals Monday through Wednesday Noon to 1 p.m.); the Central Avenue Salvation Army at 2727 Central Ave. NE; the Noble Worship and Service Center at 10011 Noble Parkway in Brooklyn Park; and the downtown Social Services Office at 53 Glenwood Avenue.
St. Paul service centers include the West 7th Street Salvation Army at 401 7th Street W. (food shelf Monday and Wednesday 9-11 a.m. with new walk-ins 1-2:30 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 1-3 p.m.) and the Payne Avenue Salvation Army at 1019 Payne Ave. (first 20 walk-ins Monday through Friday starting at 8 a.m.). The Booth Brown House at 1471 Como Avenue is the longstanding St. Paul transitional housing and youth program facility.
The Salvation Army Minneapolis Adult Rehabilitation Center at 900 N. 4th Street, Minneapolis 55401 (phone 612-547-5690) provides residential addiction recovery programming for adult men. The ARC model combines residential housing, work therapy at the Salvation Army Family Stores (sorting donations, store operations, warehouse work), addiction counseling (individual, group, twelve-step), spiritual support, and reentry case management.
Residents typically commit to a six-month residential program. Work therapy hours at the Family Stores both generate revenue that funds the ARC operations and provide structured daily work activity that supports recovery. Graduation from the ARC program leads to transitional housing and employment placement in the Twin Cities community. The Minneapolis ARC is the primary Northern Division residential addiction recovery facility.
The Booth Brown House at 1471 Como Avenue in St. Paul is the Salvation Army's transitional housing and program facility for at-risk youth and young adults in the Twin Cities region. The Booth name comes from William and Catherine Booth (founders of the Salvation Army). The Booth Brown House programs include education support, vocational training, life skills development, and case management.
The facility is one of the institutional anchors of the Salvation Army Twin Cities operations. The youth-focused programming differs from the adult ARC model in that residents are typically working toward GED completion, college enrollment, or employment placement, rather than the residential addiction recovery focus of the ARC. The Booth Brown House also coordinates with other Twin Cities youth-serving nonprofits including Avenues for Youth, MNAdvocates, and others.
Beyond the Twin Cities, Salvation Army corps operate across Greater Minnesota. The Rochester Worship and Service Center at 20 NE 1 Avenue serves Olmsted County and surrounding southeast Minnesota; the Rochester operation is the largest outside the Twin Cities and is positioned to support Mayo Clinic patients and families with emergency needs. Duluth Corps serves St. Louis County and the Arrowhead region. St. Cloud Corps serves Stearns County in central Minnesota. Brainerd Corps (where Charlie Peck has volunteered for over two decades) serves Crow Wing County and the Brainerd Lakes region.
Smaller Minnesota corps cover Mankato, Winona, Bemidji, Hibbing, Virginia, International Falls, Fergus Falls, Worthington, Marshall, and other communities. The Red Wing Thrift Store at 509 Plum Street serves the Red Wing area along the Mississippi River. Service Extension programs cover smaller Minnesota communities where corps cannot be sustained, with volunteer boards in rural towns delivering Salvation Army services in places without full corps facilities.
The Salvation Army operates in every county of North Dakota. Fargo Corps serves Cass County and the Red River Valley. Bismarck Corps serves Burleigh County and the state capital area. Minot Corps serves Ward County in north-central North Dakota; the Minot Thrift Store at 1933 S Broadway is one of the larger North Dakota Family Store operations. Grand Forks Corps serves Grand Forks County and the University of North Dakota community. Williston Corps serves Williams County and the Bakken oil-development region.
The Northern Division has a particular commitment to North Dakota Service Extension because of the state's enormous geographic area and small population. Many North Dakota counties have only a few thousand residents spread across thousands of square miles; the Service Extension model uses volunteer boards to deliver Salvation Army services in those rural communities. The Bakken oil boom of the 2010s significantly changed the demographic and economic profile of western North Dakota, and the Salvation Army's North Dakota operations adapted to serve the new influx of workers and families.
Minnesota winters are severe; heating costs from November through April create a particular emergency assistance demand that drives the Northern Division's utility assistance programming. Low-income Minnesota families can face heating bills of $200 to $400 per month during the coldest months. The Salvation Army Northern Division's emergency utility assistance program is one of the most-used in the division.
Coordination with Minnesota Energy Assistance Program (EAP) and other state-funded utility assistance programs supplements Salvation Army resources. The Salvation Army handles cases where state funds have been exhausted or where applicants do not qualify for EAP because of specific income or documentation issues. Disconnection prevention is the core goal: getting emergency funds to utility companies before the shutoff date.
When SNAP benefits paused in November 2025 during the federal shutdown, Minnesota had roughly 440,000 residents on the program and North Dakota had roughly 50,000 residents on the program. The Salvation Army Northern Division corps activated additional food distribution. Twin Cities service centers moved to multiple distributions per week. Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud, Brainerd, Fargo, Bismarck, Minot, Grand Forks, and other corps ran additional pantries through November and December.
Most of the food handed out was paid for by Red Kettle donations from December 2024. Second Harvest Heartland in St. Paul (one of the largest food banks in the country), Hunger Solutions Minnesota, North Country Food Bank in Crookston, Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo, and other regional food banks all reported significantly higher demand during the freeze. The Salvation Army Northern Division corps coordinated with these food banks on overflow distribution.
Cash gifts at the Northern Division site or the national salvationarmyusa.org can be designated to a specific corps within the division. The Northern Division does not file its own Form 990 because the Central Territory files a consolidated Form 990 under EIN 36-2167079 covering 11 Midwestern states. The Salvation Army national overhead ratio runs at roughly 14 percent (82 cents per dollar to program services, 11 cents to fundraising, 7 cents to management).
On Giving Tuesday 2024, the Northern Division offered matching for $105 gifts (described as feeding three families for a week, helping save a family from eviction, or providing hope when someone needs it most). Tom Cierzan serves as Senior Director of Gift and Estate Planning at (651) 746-3515. Wendy Fiene, Jennifer Carlson, and Denny Majewski serve as Directors of Gift and Estate Planning, all reachable through the Office of Planned Giving.
Red Kettle dollars from late November through Christmas Eve stay in the corps where the kettle was placed. The Twin Cities Red Kettle Campaign is one of the largest in the country. Kettles in Rochester stay in Rochester. Kettles in Fargo stay in Fargo. Service Extension Red Kettle campaigns in rural Minnesota and North Dakota communities keep donations local.
Furniture, clothing, working appliances, and household goods go to Family Stores across both states. Free pickup is available for larger items at satruck.org or by calling the store. Sale revenue funds the Minneapolis ARC program. Vehicle donations through Cars Helping Families; net proceeds fund local programs.
Red Kettle bell ringing from late November through Christmas Eve is the largest single volunteer role. Sign up at registertoring.com, pick a host store and shift, show up. The Twin Cities Salvation Army needs thousands of two-hour slots filled each Christmas season. The 2024 Volunteers of the Year recognition included Robert Brough (Central Salvation Army in Northeast Minneapolis), Dave Frazier, Paul F. Gauerke, Dean Lyons, Charlie Peck (Brainerd Salvation Army), Armond Smith, Sandi Swor, and Josh and Becca Vanderberg.
Year-round opportunities at corps across the division include Family Store sorting, food shelf packing, after-school program tutoring at corps with kids' programming, holiday toy distribution, Booth Brown House youth program support, and Minneapolis ARC peer mentor roles (which require additional screening). Hot meal service at the East Lake Street Salvation Army, the Central Avenue Salvation Army, and the Coon Rapids service center has consistent volunteer needs.
Disaster volunteer roles include canteen volunteering for tornadoes (Minnesota's annual tornado season runs roughly May through September), severe winter weather response, and ESC roles. Disaster roles require one or two training sessions before deployment. For corporate teams of 10 to 50 people, the Northern Division development office in Roseville can coordinate group volunteer days. Minnesota-based companies (Target, 3M, U.S. Bank, General Mills, Best Buy, UnitedHealth Group, others) run repeat corporate volunteer programs with the Salvation Army.
The Northern Division is part of the Salvation Army Central Territory, which has its territorial headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The Central Territory files its own Form 990 covering 11 Midwestern states under EIN 36-2167079. Northern Division-specific financial reporting is consolidated at the divisional level.
The Salvation Army National Corporation reported roughly $5.8 billion in annual revenue across all US operations. National overhead ratios run consistently at roughly 14 percent. Program services receive 82 cents per dollar; fundraising costs 11 cents; management and general 7 cents. Charity Navigator gives the Salvation Army four stars; CharityWatch rates it favorably. The Minneapolis ARC has its own program-level financial reporting because of the residential addiction recovery model and the work therapy revenue from the Family Stores.
For pure food access dollars, Minnesota and North Dakota have strong food bank infrastructure. Second Harvest Heartland in St. Paul covers 59 counties across Minnesota and western Wisconsin and is one of the largest food banks in the country. North Country Food Bank in Crookston covers 21 counties in northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo covers all of North Dakota and parts of western Minnesota. Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester covers 14 counties in southeast Minnesota. These food banks convert donated dollars at roughly 1:7 through bulk purchasing power.
The Salvation Army's specific advantages in the Northern Division: the Minneapolis Adult Rehabilitation Center (one of the few residential addiction recovery facilities operating at scale in Minnesota), the Booth Brown House youth transitional housing (a model serving at-risk young adults that few other Twin Cities nonprofits operate), the 20,000-volunteer scale across the two states, integrated emergency utility assistance during the severe winter heating season, and Service Extension reach into rural Minnesota and rural North Dakota counties with no other organized emergency assistance.
Practical framing: for maximum food-per-dollar in Minnesota and North Dakota, food banks win on math. For residential addiction recovery, youth transitional housing, severe-winter heating assistance, and integrated emergency response across the rural counties of both states, the Salvation Army Northern Division is among the few organizations operating at that scale.
Last updated May 2026. Northern Division headquarters address (2445 Prior Avenue N., Roseville MN 55113, phone 651-746-3400) from the chamberofcommerce.com Northern Division business listing and the Northern Division Contact Us page. Captain Joshua Polanco as General Secretary and Twin Cities Commander, Captain Jennifer Polanco as Divisional Secretary for Program, Captain Ross Anderson as Divisional Secretary for Business Administration, Captain John F. Gantner as Divisional Officer for Capital Campaigns, Captain Trisha Anderson as Divisional Candidates Secretary, from the Northern Division Who We Are page (centralusa.salvationarmy.org/northern/who-we-are/). Northern Division serves Minnesota and North Dakota with nearly 20,000 volunteers from the Northern Division 2024 Volunteers of the Year article and the Salvation Army North Facebook page. Two-state Northern Division coverage is the official coverage (state-page claims of MN+ND+SD+MT+WY+CO appear to be outdated or aspirational; the division's own materials consistently list Minnesota and North Dakota only). 2024 Volunteers of the Year (Robert Brough, Dave Frazier, Paul F. Gauerke, Dean Lyons, Charlie Peck, Armond Smith, Sandi Swor, and Josh and Becca Vanderberg) from the Northern Division April 2024 article. Minneapolis Adult Rehabilitation Center at 900 N. 4th St. Minneapolis, North Lyndale Avenue Salvation Army at 2024 Lyndale Avenue N., Minneapolis Temple at 1604 East Lake Street, Brooklyn Park Noble Center at 10011 Noble Parkway, Red Wing Thrift Store at 509 Plum Street, Rochester Worship and Service Center at 20 NE 1 Avenue, Minot ND Thrift Store at 1933 S Broadway, from the Northern Division Home page. Booth Brown House at 1471 Como Avenue St. Paul from the Loc8NearMe listing. Twin Cities food shelf and hot meal program schedules from the centralusa.salvationarmy.org/twin-cities/get-food-help/ page. Office of Planned Giving (Tom Cierzan as Senior Director of Gift and Estate Planning at 651-746-3515, Wendy Fiene and Jennifer Carlson and Denny Majewski as Directors of Gift and Estate Planning) from the thesalarmygiftplan.org Northern contact page. Giving Tuesday 2024 matching gift program from the Central Minneapolis Salvation Army December 2024 news article. Minnesota SNAP participation (~440,000 residents) and North Dakota SNAP participation (~50,000 residents) from USDA Food and Nutrition Service November 2025 communications. Central Territory headquarters in Hoffman Estates IL and Central Territory EIN 36-2167079 from prospeo.io company profile. National revenue figure (~5.8 billion dollars) from Salvation Army National Corporation 2023 published annual report. Overhead ratio figures from Salvation Army National annual report and Charity Navigator. We are not affiliated with the Salvation Army and receive no compensation for this listing. Errors: [email protected]