Ten Years of Kroc Ministry in Camden 

by Hugo Bravo 

The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center in Camden celebrated its 10-year milestone in the best way it knows how: being in service to the community and nourishing the partnerships it has made with other local organizations.  

The event-filled anniversary weekend began with a rededication of the Camden Kroc and the unveiling of an art piece titled Yesterday, Today and Forever by We Live Here, a Camden-based artist collective. The piece symbolizes The Salvation Army’s presence in the city since 1880. The next day, under its famous solar panels, the Kroc held a drive-thru food distribution, a throwback to the days of COVID-19. Kroc staff and volunteers packed bags of produce and proteins and loaded them up into cars directly. A Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services truck was also on the scene with hot dogs and snacks for lunch.  

KrocFest  

At KrocFest, the largest indoor and outdoor event since the Kroc’s opening in 2014, partner agencies from all over town had booths in rooms and spaces to talk about the services available in the city. There was free food, live music, exercise classes, virtual reality video games, and even a fire truck parked outside, where guests could re-create rescues with the help of trained firemen. Inside the Kroc lobby, a chef from Campbell’s, another Camden-based institution, cooked a pasta dish for visitors.

“When I think of the Kroc in Camden, it reminds me of Jesus in Nazareth. That was a town that wasn’t very affluent, but so many beautiful, important events occurred there,” said Dawn Garlic, volunteer services manager at the Camden Kroc. “Look at all the things that have been birthed here in the Kroc: the ministries, the pool, the sports programs, and now, over 100 supporting organizations here to represent and inform the community. KrocFest is the holistic approach for the mind, body, and soul that The Salvation Army is known for.” 

Relationships built 

Majors Lolita and Richard Sanchez arrived as the Camden Kroc’s new pastors and administrators in 2023 and immediately started planning for KrocFest. Major Lolita spoke with Benjamin Ovadia, community relations and development director for the Camden Kroc, and told him, “Ben, we need to throw a party!” And from there, things grew.  

Whether it’s a large center like the 125,000-square-foot Kroc or a small Salvation Army church, Major Lolita said, it’s not the size or scope of the building that makes it thrive. It’s the relationships created during an officer’s time there. That includes the connections made with its employees and volunteers, as well as the community they all serve. 

“It takes a village for an event like this to happen,” said Major Lolita. “I talked to a mom today who had picked out a new pair of white sneakers for herself from our clothing table. While she was doing that, her son got a free haircut from a local barber giving his time here. From there, her son went to the gym, where the Philadelphia 76ers basketball organization gave him 76ers gear. 

“That mother and her son experienced all that in just their first hour at KrocFest. And it’s because of the relationships and connections built over the years by The Salvation Army in Camden.” 

A life of service 

With KrocFest concluded, the Camden Kroc lobby was transformed for a gala celebration dinner for its past and present officers, volunteers, and supporting organizations. Amanda Latimer, the granddaughter of Joan Kroc, gave a taped message to the attendees. Having attended many past Kroc openings, including Camden’s, she shared her grandmother’s love and support for the work done by The Salvation Army.  

Latimer said Joan Kroc always believed that helping others had to come from a place of love toward those you were helping. She told a story about the family driving to the airport for a trip and seeing a homeless man begging by the airport gates. Joan Kroc called over to the man, and when he approached their car, she rolled down the window, shook his hand, and said she hoped he’d get a room and a meal with the money she was giving him. The look on the man’s face was of surprise—not that he was being given something, but that somebody was acknowledging and showing concern for him. 

“As we drove away, she told me that she wasn’t sure whether the man would get a warm meal or buy alcohol with the money, but at least for a moment, hopefully he felt that somebody cared about him. This is who my grandmother was,” said Latimer.  

“When the first Ray and Joan Kroc Center was built in San Diego, my grandmother was overjoyed. I think it was there when she decided where most of her estate would go.” 

Reading from a letter her grandmother wrote her shortly before Joan Kroc’s death, Latimer stressed that a life of service and of “doing unto others” as Jesus would is a happy one. She read: “Always carry with you the message of charity and brotherly love. Serve others joyously, and your reward will be great.” 

Ministry in every room 

When Majors Alma and Paul Cain, the first corps officers of the Camden Kroc, arrived in 2007, they were given the task of raising money and helping to plan the Kroc’s design. In October of 2008, the first KrocFest was held in a park across from the land that would one day be the Camden Kroc. 

“We had games, food, and T-shirts that said ‘I can’t wait for the Kroc to be open,’” said Major Alma.  

At that time, the space that the Camden Kroc now occupies was a landfill with 85 acres of garbage and 40 years’ worth of untouched trees and plant life. The state allocated $25 million for the cleanup, which required over 220,000 cubic yards of fresh dirt to be placed.  

“The official cleanup started in November of 2011, and construction began in December of 2012. It took about two years for them to finish the Kroc,” said Major Paul. “But in that time, we were not just building the Kroc itself. We had a house in Camden where officers were stationed and could do ministry to build in the community. We were rallying partners so by the time we opened, we would have people ready for us.” 

About 2,000 people came to the ribbon cutting and grand opening in October 2014. For families in the community, it felt like a spaceship had landed. Within nine months, the Camden Kroc had 8,000 members. Thousands of people were learning what it was like to have this type of building in their own community. 

“One of the things that was important for us from the beginning and part of our vocabulary is that we had to be able to interchange the words Kroc Center with corps. We did not want this to be a fitness center that had a church. We wanted this to be a Salvation Army Corps that happened to have a two-story water slide,” said Major Paul. 

“If someone would look at an early map of the Kroc and ask where the church was, I would draw a circle around the whole design. Ministry would be in everything. We knew that the Camden Kroc would be a success if souls were being saved in the gym, the pool, and the playground, as well as at the altar.” 

An anchor institution 

“The people of Camden have been consistent from the first day the Kroc opened,” said Major Alma. “Family legacies are being created here, just like in any other Salvation Army corps. Children who came on the first day now have their first summer jobs here. They bring their families, their friends, and proudly say to them, ‘This is our community center.’” 

The Salvation Army’s presence has built a legacy within Camden too. In only 10 years, the Kroc has become an anchor institution in the city, alongside other local landmarks like Rutgers University and Camden’s Adventure Aquarium.

“When important decisions are being made for the city, The Salvation Army is consulted about them. This Kroc has a voice and a seat at the table,” said Major Paul. “That is so important. It means that God has a seat at the table as well.”