Salvation Army halts decades-long plan to build Pasco facility. It bought this instead
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Salvation Army purchases $1.8M Sylvester St. site, shifts from 20th Avenue plan.
- New facility will house gym, kitchen, classrooms and year-round programs.
- It is expected to open in February 2026.
The Salvation Army Tri-Cities is pausing on a decades-long plan to build a new facility on 20th Avenue and Lewis Street in Pasco.
Instead, the organization bought an existing $1.8 million building on Sylvester Street that they expect to open early next year.
It’s currently home to HungryGen Church, which is moving into a major renovation project at Canal Drive and Edison Street in Kennewick.
Salvation Army’s new site at 3203 W. Sylvester St. will help the nonprofit expand its impact as soon as February, they said.
The Salvation Army is fundraising for an additional $300,000 to finish upgrading the building with a goal of starting renovations in November.
Expanded services
The Sylvester Street location will have a gym, kitchen, playground and classrooms for educational programs, including cooking classes, music lessons, sports leagues, financial literacy workshops and bingo game nights.
Plus, the Salvation Army will continue to run free, year-round after-school programs and summer bible camps out of the building.
But it still needs ADA-compliant bathrooms, an ADA-accessible ramp at the entrance of the chapel used for church services, renovations to the gym and a service window in the kitchen.
The new kitchen will serve up daily meals for people in need.
Social services will remain at its location at 310 N. 4th Ave. That includes emergency food distribution and the Hope Pantry, a pantry where clients can pick out specific items they need. Business Coordinator Elvin Reyes told the Tri-City Herald that federal cuts have led to a “huge demand” for food from people with low wages suffering from food insecurity.
The Salvation Army also gives away household supplies like diapers and wipes, furniture and mattresses.
Currently, the Salvation Army’s facility at 303 Clark St. is used for programming, but doesn’t have an operational kitchen. The Clark Street building has been for sale for about three months.
The Salvation Army will hire at least two more employees as part of the expansion. Currently, the organization has one part-time employee and two full-time.
The organization relies on hundreds of volunteers.
Last year, the Tri-Cities nonprofit served more than 5,000 families and 1,500 individuals. About half of the people served locally are Latino, they said.
Ways to give back
Donations to the capital campaign can be made online through January.
The Salvation Army will have a separate holiday kettle collection in November and December to raise money for ongoing programs and services. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up online to volunteer.
Also during the holiday season, individuals and groups can sign up to help those in need with holiday gifts through Angel Tree program or to adopt a family or person in need who will receive new clothing and toys.
