The Salvation Army Christmas Kettle campaign kicks off this week with the hope of raising even more money than last year to support the community.
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Christmas Kettles will be rolling out across the city to collect money for the Salvation Army.
Salvation Army Church Pastor Maj. Terry Cook said they have upped their fundraising goal this year to $400,000 from $380,000 in 2018 and past years.
Cook said they need to raise a bit more money this year because the cost of living has gone up.
“The price of everything goes up and it's hard to keep doing it with the same number of dollars,” Cook said.
The pastor said this is their biggest fundraiser of the year and the money raised goes to support programs for the rest of the year.
Cook said this is a very busy time of year but it is also very rewarding.
“It is exceedingly busy but it's also exceedingly rewarding. You get people coming up to you when you're working and (saying), 'This is how the Salvation Army impacted my life,'” Cook said.
The money they raise during the six weeks at the end of the year funds myriad programs and community support initiatives run by the organization.
The church runs a Lunch With the Bunch program every Tuesday where around 65 people with disabilities and their families or support workers come in for a lunch on the house. The group sings their favourite hymns and takes part in the church services, before enjoying a meal together.
“It's really a lunch that started out at one point to be a lunch for seniors and it has sort of transformed into a lunch for people with physical and mental challenges,” Cook said.
The money raised during Kettle season also funds their Tot Time on Mondays, where they have preschool-aged children come in and play with their toys while parents can enjoy a drink and a cookie.
Donations to the Salvation Army will also help fund their Community Kitchen program, which runs once a month for people with disabilities to come and use the church facilities to learn how to bake goods like cookies, muffins and cakes.
The Salvation Army also has a Christmas toy store set up during the holiday season. They take toy donations from the community that can be dropped off at the church or in toy drop boxes throughout the city, but they also use some of their fundraising money to purchase some toys.
The program is unique, Cook said, because parents can come in and shop for toys for their kids and choose the toys their little ones would most want, rather than being handed generic toys for their age group.
“It cost them nothing but it gives a little bit of dignity because they know what their kids like and we don't,” Cook said.
This year, they have expanded their Christmas shopping program to provide gifts for moms so the kids are able to pick up a present for their moms while the moms are picking out gifts for the kids.
When the temperatures drop, the Salvation Army also provides coats for kids. Many are provided by donation, while the Salvation Army purchases others for the coatless kids in the community.
The church also runs the Feed My Lambs breakfast program, which provides breakfast supplies to schools across the community for kids who may come to school hungry. In the summer, the money will go toward sending kids to the Salvation Army Camp, where kids head out to Pine Lake for a week of summer fun.
On top of the myriad community programs the church provides during the year, they are also using their money to give a helping hand to those in need. They help pay rent for people down on their luck or help cover a utility bill if people are in need, and work with the St. Albert Food Bank and other community organizations to make sure nobody is forgotten or left behind.
“Sometimes it’s people leaving an abusive relationship. They just need some help getting started, so we find a way to get pots and pans or furniture or whatever,” Cook said.
For more information about the Christmas Kettle campaign or to sign up for a volunteer shift, please call 587-334-3892.
