The Salvation Army has confirmed it has paused its Friday brunch and Hope Food Market programs at its Victor Harbor service.
A notice displayed at the Victor Harbor Shopping Centre initially sparked community discussion by flagging changes to Friday activities, including the brunch, morning coffee, and the low-cost grocery area. However, the Salvation Army stresses that the regional site is not closing and that critical, emergency support services are actively continuing.
Peter Samson, External Communications Manager for the Salvation Army in South Australia, said the local branch is conducting a standard review of how it supports the community.
“The Victor Harbor Salvation Army has taken a bit of a review of how we service the community and they’ve decided in the interim to close the Hope Food Market and the Friday brunch to review on the best way to service the community in Victor Harbor,” Mr Samson said.
“They felt that these particular markets and the Friday brunch isn’t servicing the community the best way at the moment, so they reviewed all the services and they felt that these were the ones to just put a pause on and review.”
He noted that the changes are intended to be temporary, with the local team planning to introduce fresh activities in the new year.
Crucially, key hygiene and emergency relief features remain open. Showers (with toiletries and towels provided), laundry facilities, and emergency relief vouchers (by appointment) continue to operate on Fridays between 9:30 AM and 12:00 PM. Additionally, food parcels containing fresh items remain available on Mondays from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM and Fridays from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
The pause follows concerns raised online by local community support organisation 3 Angels’ Messages Ministry Op Shop in Victor Harbor. The organisation stated it assists between 5,000 to 6,000 individuals each month across the Fleurieu Peninsula with free food, clothing, bedding, and furniture.
In a public social media post, the ministry expressed worry that the reduction of programs could cause a ripple effect, increasing demand on surrounding charity networks.
“Pressure will be put on charities… to provide the free services that they had been offering the communities at the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide for approximately 3 to 4 years now,” the organisation stated. The ministry continues to provide its own regular food parcel distribution and emergency aid from its Warne Street premises.
The Salvation Army’s Victor Harbor base will continue operating other essential resources from its main site at 22 Bartel Boulevard, Encounter Bay.
