Each holiday season the Salvation Army kicks-off its annual kettle campaign to help raise money for the Christmas Hamper program, and other various Salvation Army projects to help better the community.
“I wouldn’t want to imagine what life in our community would be like if the Salvation Army wasn’t doing everything they do,” said kettle campaign coordinator, Herb Pond.
“The Salvation Army plays a critical role in taking care of some of the speed bumps and dips that would otherwise ruin some families living in need in the community.”
The kettle campaign is organized each year to help raise money for the Christmas Hamper program that will assist around 950 families this year, which is around the same as last year. The Christmas Hamper assists families in need by providing gift cards and presents for children age seventeen and younger, also providing a small gift for adults.
“These hampers will be critical in making Christmas for those families in need. When you think about the size of Prince Rupert, that’s nearly one in every four or five families. We still have a large number of people living in the community that are struggling,” Pond commented.
Additionally, funds collected for the kettle campaign go towards other local Salvation Army projects such as the soup kitchen, which has served approximately 40,400 meals at the end of October this year alone, and the food bank.
A soft-launch of the kettle campaign has already started this year by a small group of people, but it will fully underway this weekend, however volunteers are still needed.
“We are very flexible when it comes to volunteering,” says Pond.
There are a number of ways to help the campaign, like many local financial institutions, and other various workplaces, that have taken kettles into their facilities to help raise money from employees throughout the day, as well as the traditional way of standing with a kettle during a busy shopping day.
Pond also mentioned that last year, many of the people volunteering for the program came back to volunteer again.
“People who signed up for an hour who come back for several more because they found it so powerful,” he said.
Anyone wishing to help out with this cause is encouraged to contact Herb Pond 250-624-9443, or email rupertbooster@gmail.com.