Marion Corps Debuts New Canteen 

by Hugo Bravo

On the first weekend after Labor Day, Marion County, Ohio, holds its annual Marion Popcorn Festival, a three-day event with musical acts, amusement park rides, and a parade to celebrate Marion as one of the top growers and exporters of popcorn in the United States and the world. 

Because streets were closed during the Popcorn Festival, The Salvation Army Marion Corps also shut its doors for the weekend, allowing patrons to use its parking lot. But the Army’s presence was still felt as the corps debuted its new food canteen truck as part of the Popcorn Festival’s parade.  

“This is our first corps canteen, and we’re planning to take it wherever people need coffee, water, or food. But along with that, we’re going to use it for everything else too,” says Captain Jason Price, pastor at the Marion Corps. “Being part of events like the Popcorn Festival gives our ministry a presence where we may not be connected yet.” 

Before the parade, various Marion organizations got a firsthand look at the canteen, which comes equipped with Starlink internet service. 

“The EMA, local first responders, and the fire department are all excited about what the canteen can do,” says Price. “The police department said that our canteen is something that Marion needs.” 

The canteen will serve as the corps’ mobile pantry, able to take food to locations where residents might not be able to leave their homes, such as retirement communities and lower-income neighborhoods.  

“When we know that people who come to our soup kitchen can’t come that day, we’re going to bring the soup kitchen to them,” says Price. 

In the days after the Popcorn Festival, the corps trained personnel from different Marion organizations on how to operate a Salvation Army canteen.  

“This canteen is not just about our corps, or even about The Salvation Army,” says Price. “It’s about our Marion community coming together to make our home a better place to live for everyone.”