The Salvation Army has been a presence in Orangeville for more than 100 years, so Pastor Donna Kennedy informed me in a telephone interview. The Thrift Store, run by the S.A., has been collecting goods and re-selling them for about 20 years.

All the money goes to assisting those in need as has always been the function of the S.A. since its world-wide inception in 1865.

Their large premises on Broadway invite those who have gently used and quality products to donate them for resale to promote the agenda of the Salvation Army.

As Pastor Donna explained, “Dufferin Social Services send people to us. Our mandate is our ministry in the community. We serve God by serving others.”

She said that, although there has been many good items given, there are a higher proportion of damaged goods donated this year, causing many more trips to the dump than usual for the volunteers at the store.

She also explained the problem with accepting toys, in that they have to be clean and unbroken; games need not to have pieces missing.

“At the moment,” she said, “we are collecting furniture for a lady who has nothing; this is the sort of thing we do.”

Joan, the Thrift Store’s manager, is still excited by the donations coming in this year. The Thrift Store takes in furniture, household goods, CDs, DVDs, books and, of course, clothing.

Things should in good condition and clean, for the staff at the store does not have the time or facilities to repair and clean things.

Joan said, “The donations have been excellent this year and there have been lots of people coming to buy.”

A couple of doors along is a similar shop, Paws and Claws, which takes in gently used articles for resale to support the Orangeville S.P.C.A. There is another Paws and Claws shop in Shelburne.

The manager there, Renee Holiday, was also effusive about the goods that have been donated this year.

She told me proudly that there about 40 volunteers who work the store in Orangeville and 20 who work the store in Shelburne.

The stores, she was careful to make clear, are staffed totally by volunteers.

“A lot of our customers love animals – recycling your good quality used things is good for the environment – people throw everything away otherwise,” she commented.

She, too, is worried about recycling toys. “We have no way to know, or to spend the time on finding out, which toys have a recall on them because of problems with them. We worry about the possibility of lawsuits over a 10 cent toy.”

Back on Broadway, the old cinema, built in 1927, is owned by the Good Friends. They have made a church of it, while maintaining, as far as possible, the original features.

Pastor Kerry, who runs the day to day business of the church, told me about it.

“We love the old building and want to keep it. People will come in where they might not want to go into a building with stained glass windows. There are services every Sunday and a movie once a month. We have about 350 people in our congregation.”

The Good Friends also run the Lighthouse in a building two doors along from the cinema, where meals are served every day from Monday to Friday. Not only meals, but fellowship and a comfortable place to sit and talk for a couple of hours every week day are offered as well.

Pastor Kerry explained: “Our mandate is to feed the hungry. One year ago, we felt God was leading us to that. Each one of us has different things to do – we saw a need and knew it was a tremendous undertaking.”

He went on to say: “Meeting the needs of people that aren’t wanted, who are lonely with no one to take care of them – we offer not only food but an atmosphere of belonging.”

I asked him who came to the Lighthouse lunches. He told me: “The young and the old. Teenagers and seniors come to a place to belong. Every day, I just read some scriptures, something practical – how can you use God’s word to change things?”

People volunteer to cook and clean up. The local super markets donate food and companies and individuals donate money to support the meals. In the summer months, the local farmers bring their produce to help out.

“We are an evangelical church,” Pastor Kerry agreed.

“We also hold classes for addiction – the 12 steps for ‘born to be free’ from addiction. Our courses are a little different from the AA meetings because not everyone is comfortable with speaking and confessing in front of others.”

Pastor Kelly is the assistant pastor to Pastor Rod Hempree, whose time is mainly preoccupied with TV’s “Quick Study”, a series of half hour programs, also on the internet, of walks through the Bible.

Pastor Rod came to this area from the USA more than 25 years ago and originally started with Teen Ranch.

“On Sunday evenings, we also hold a prayer meeting at the Lighthouse,” Pastor Kerry told me. “We get together between 8 and 9:p.m. Everyone is welcomed.”

Everyone is welcomed. As many people as possible are assisted. You can hardly do better than that. It seems the spirit of Scrooge does not live in Orangeville.