The Salvation Army Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Division is headquartered at 11315 West Watertown Plank Road in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. The division operates 26 community and worship centers across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Salvation Army has been a United Way partner in Milwaukee since 1909, one of the longest United Way partnerships in the country. As of 2010, there were over 2,300 Salvationists in the Greater Milwaukee area, and the division maintains four worship centers in Milwaukee County plus one in Waukesha County. Milwaukee's significant homeless population (concentrated in several areas of the city) requires consistent Salvation Army operations year-round.
The year-round work in Wisconsin looks much like Salvation Army operations everywhere: emergency rent and utility assistance, food pantries, overnight shelter at the Milwaukee Emergency Lodge and other facilities, addiction recovery, after-school and summer youth programs, holiday assistance, and disaster response. What is different about Wisconsin is the depth of operations in Milwaukee (one of the longest-running Salvation Army cities in the country) and the geographic reach into rural Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where other nonprofits have limited presence.
Wisconsin's economic geography includes major urban centers in Milwaukee (one of the most racially segregated cities in the country with significant pockets of poverty), Madison (a relatively prosperous state capital and university town with its own particular emergency assistance needs), Green Bay (the Fox Valley industrial base), and smaller cities throughout the state. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, separately administered by the same division, has its own economic challenges including resource-extraction decline, tourism seasonality, and rural isolation.
The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County is the largest single Salvation Army operation in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee operations include four worship centers across the county plus emergency assistance, the Milwaukee County Emergency Lodge for shelter, the Milwaukee County food pantries, after-school programs, and holiday assistance. The Salvation Army has been a Milwaukee institution since the 1880s and a formal United Way partner since 1909, one of the oldest United Way partnerships in the country.
The Milwaukee County Emergency Lodge is the division's primary emergency shelter facility. The Lodge provides warm, safe surroundings along with assistance from trained professionals to help residents gain stability in their lives and work toward independence. Many of the programs are designed to help residents get back on their feet and change their lives for the better. The Lodge serves residents of Milwaukee County and coordinates with other Milwaukee shelter providers as part of the broader emergency services network.
The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County's marketing team was featured in Milwaukee Magazine's Faces of Milwaukee 2023, reflecting the division's deep institutional presence in the city's nonprofit and civic life. The Milwaukee operations have one of the largest Red Kettle campaigns in Wisconsin, generating significant Christmas-season fundraising that funds the following year's emergency assistance programs.
The Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Division is one of nine divisions in the Salvation Army Central Territory. The divisional headquarters at 11315 West Watertown Plank Road in Wauwatosa (a Milwaukee suburb) handles administrative functions, fundraising, and program oversight for the entire division. Ashley Miller serves as Senior Donor Relations Director. The Central Territory's territorial headquarters is in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The 26 community and worship centers are distributed across Wisconsin's major and mid-sized cities plus several Upper Peninsula Michigan cities. The Upper Peninsula coverage reflects geography and population: the UP has more in common economically and culturally with northern Wisconsin than with the Lower Peninsula, so the Salvation Army administers UP operations from Wauwatosa rather than from Southfield Michigan.
Madison Corps serves Dane County and surrounding south-central Wisconsin. Madison's Salvation Army operations include the Madison Multi-Service Center with emergency shelter and case management, food pantry, and emergency rent and utility assistance. The Madison Corps is one of the most active operations outside Milwaukee.
Green Bay Corps serves Brown County and the broader Fox Valley industrial region. The Green Bay operations include emergency shelter, food pantry, and after-school programs. Racine Corps serves Racine County. Kenosha Corps serves Kenosha County. Appleton Corps serves Outagamie County and parts of the Fox Cities. Eau Claire Corps serves Eau Claire County and northwest Wisconsin. Wausau Corps serves Marathon County and north-central Wisconsin.
Smaller Wisconsin cities have corps in Janesville, Beloit, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, La Crosse, Marshfield, Stevens Point, and other communities. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan coverage includes corps in Marquette, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, and Sault Ste. Marie. Coats for Kids program distributes about 1,000 coats annually through the Milwaukee operations, with local dry cleaners cleaning the coats for free before distribution.
The Salvation Army is the distribution point for the Milwaukee Coats for Kids program. On average, 1,000 coats are issued annually to children in need. Local dry cleaners clean the coats for free before they are distributed. The program is one of the longest-running winter assistance programs in Milwaukee and reflects the kind of broad community partnership that has defined Salvation Army operations in Milwaukee since the 1880s.
Beyond Coats for Kids, the Milwaukee Salvation Army runs comprehensive winter emergency programs including heating assistance referrals, additional emergency shelter capacity during cold-weather emergencies, and holiday food and toy distribution. Wisconsin winters are severe, and the Milwaukee Salvation Army's winter programming reflects that reality.
When SNAP benefits paused in November 2025 during the federal shutdown, Wisconsin had roughly 700,000 residents on the program. The Salvation Army Wisconsin and Upper Michigan corps activated additional food distribution. Milwaukee County corps moved to multiple distributions per week. Madison, Green Bay, Racine, Kenosha, Appleton, and other WI corps ran additional pantries through November and December.
Most of the food handed out was paid for by Red Kettle donations from December 2024. Hunger Task Force Milwaukee, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin in Madison, and other Wisconsin food banks all reported significantly higher demand during the freeze. The Salvation Army Wisconsin corps coordinated with these food banks on overflow distribution.
Cash gifts at the WI/UP Division site or the national salvationarmyusa.org can be designated to a specific Wisconsin corps. The Salvation Army Wisconsin and Upper Michigan 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).
Mailing address for checks is 11315 West Watertown Plank Rd., Wauwatosa, WI 53226. Specify the location you would like to designate in the memo line. Online donations through the division website or salvationarmyusa.org allow designation to specific corps. Stock, planned giving, and donor-advised fund gifts are processed through Ashley Miller, Senior Donor Relations Director.
Red Kettle dollars from late November through Christmas Eve stay in the corps where the kettle was placed. Kettles at Milwaukee-area retailers stay in Milwaukee. Kettles in Madison stay in Madison. The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County Red Kettle Campaign is one of the larger fundraising operations in the state.
Furniture, clothing, working appliances, and household goods go to Family Stores across Wisconsin. Free pickup is available for larger items at satruck.org or by calling the store. Sale revenue funds the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center 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. Wisconsin needs thousands of two-hour slots filled each Christmas season at Milwaukee-area retailers, Madison-area stores, and commercial corridors throughout the state.
The Milwaukee County Emergency Lodge has specific volunteer needs for direct shelter support, meal service, and program assistance. The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County's marketing team continues recruiting volunteers for ongoing engagement throughout the year. Coats for Kids volunteers are needed each fall and winter for coat collection, distribution, and partnerships with local dry cleaners.
Year-round opportunities at corps statewide include Family Store sorting, food pantry packing, after-school program tutoring at corps with kids' programming, and holiday toy distribution. Disaster volunteer roles include canteen volunteering, warehouse work, distribution support, and emotional and spiritual care provided by trained chaplains and ESC volunteers. Disaster roles require one or two training sessions before deployment. For corporate teams of 10 to 50 people, the WI/UP Division development office in Wauwatosa can coordinate group volunteer days. Wisconsin-based companies (Northwestern Mutual, Kohl's, ManpowerGroup, Rockwell Automation, Harley-Davidson, others) run repeat corporate volunteer programs with the Salvation Army.
The Wisconsin and Upper Michigan 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. Wisconsin-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 Milwaukee County Salvation Army has its own annual community report that provides more granular detail on local operations.
For pure food access dollars, Wisconsin has strong food bank infrastructure. Hunger Task Force Milwaukee is a unique food bank model that focuses exclusively on Milwaukee County. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin in Milwaukee covers 36 eastern Wisconsin counties. Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin in Madison covers 16 counties in southern Wisconsin. Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire covers 14 counties in west-central Wisconsin. These food banks convert donated dollars at roughly 1:7 through bulk purchasing power.
The Salvation Army's specific advantages in Wisconsin: deep institutional history (United Way partnership since 1909, longest in the country), the Milwaukee County Emergency Lodge as a significant Milwaukee shelter, geographic reach across 26 community and worship centers including the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (no other nonprofit covers WI and UP together), and breadth of services in a single corps (rent, utilities, food, shelter, holiday assistance).
Practical framing: for maximum food-per-dollar in Wisconsin, food banks win on math. For comprehensive integrated emergency assistance with deep Milwaukee roots, the Milwaukee County Emergency Lodge, and reach into the Upper Peninsula and rural Wisconsin communities, the Salvation Army Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Division is one of the few organizations operating at that scale across the state and region.
Last updated May 2026. Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Division headquarters address (11315 West Watertown Plank Road, Wauwatosa WI 53226), main phone (414) 302-4300, and Ashley Miller as Senior Donor Relations Director from the Salvation Army Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Division contact page on salvationarmyusa.org. 26 community and worship centers and 2,300+ Salvationists in greater Milwaukee area (as of 2010), four Milwaukee County worship centers and one Waukesha County worship center, from the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee Salvation Army entry. United Way partner in Milwaukee since 1909 from the United Way of Greater Milwaukee agency listing. Milwaukee County Emergency Lodge programs from the Salvation Army Wisconsin and Upper Michigan LinkedIn page and the Volunteer Wisconsin agency listing. Coats for Kids program (1,000 coats annually, local dry cleaners cleaning the coats for free) from the Findhelp Salvation Army Wisconsin programs listing. Milwaukee Magazine Faces of Milwaukee 2023 reference from the WI/UP Division LinkedIn page. Wisconsin SNAP participation (~700,000 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]