The Salvation Army in Prince Albert has a busy Christmas season ahead of them thanks to their Christmas Kettle Campaign, which officially began on Friday.
The campaign helps provide food hampers, gifts, and other things to make Christmas brighter for those who are less fortunate. Major Ed Dean of the Prince Albert Salvation Army said they hope to raise $100,000 this Christmas to help meet needs that have only grown in the past year.
“It is Nov. 21, first day for our kettles and for many kettles across the country. We have six locations up right now. We will have seven by tonight,” Dean said.
The six locations are the Lake Country Co-op Liquor Store, Walmart, Save-on-Foods, Safeway, Lake Country Co-op Grocery Store and Superstore and Walmart.
Kettles were also up at the Prince Albert Raiders game against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Dean said the Grinch might also be in attendance, since it’s the first time they’ll have a kettle at the Raider game this season.
Dean said the kettle campaign is important because it their main fundraiser for the year.
“When you’re feeding 40,000 meals a year, it takes a little bit of cash,” he explained. “Our goal this year is $100,000. It’s the same as last year, but we understand that people are finding it a little bit more difficult with pricing going up and everything, so we’re keeping the same goal as last year. Hopefully we will meet that goal.”
Dean said that if each Prince Albert resident finds a way to donate $2.50 they should reach that $100,000 mark.
He added that finding bell ringers is one of their top priorities.
“If somebody’s got an hour that they could give, two hours to give, take the grandchildren out, come out, bring a friend, and have some fun with it, and see those that you may not have seen all year.”
You can register by calling the office at 306-763-6078 and pressing the extension for Rich
or you can go on salvationist.ca and hit volunteer and then drop down for Prince Albert.
The Salvation Army also has their toy campaign underway.
“If they (families) have no other means of getting toys, then they register with us and they can get toys for their children,” Dean explained. “We do say no other means because if they’re receiving from other places, we want to be able to see every child get a toy at Christmastime. We say, ‘if you’re getting from elsewhere, then you don’t need from us.”
Dean added that it’s important that everyone be able to celebrate Christmas.
“There are many families that struggle,” he said. “It’s a challenge enough to pay the bills every day.
“At Christmas time, every family wants to give their family that little bit extra. If we can make a difference in somebody’s life through the toy hamper campaign or through even a meal throughout the year, it does make a difference.”
Dean said that more than 50 years ago his family received Christmas dinner and toys from the Salvation Army. He was one of nine children, and he parents had split up. He said that experience is what drives him.
“To me, this is an important season,” he said. “I was saying to one of our volunteers the other day, this is my over my 40th year doing Christmas kettles. When I started on Christmas kettles, we stood outside. It didn’t matter what the weather was. (At) 17 years old, I can remember standing in front of the liquor store and ringing the bells and getting people to give.”
The Salvation Army has modernized their operation since then. They now have ‘tip-tap’ or wireless options to donate at each kettle.
“Our tip-tap is another opportunity to give,” Dean explained. “It’s a more modern way of giving. With people with less cash in hand, we were noticing that the cash contribution was falling, and so the tip tap gives another opportunity where they can use their Visa on it, they can use their MasterCard, they can use their debit machine on it. People are enjoying it, they’re very happy that this system is here.”
Salvation Army Kettles will be in various locations around the city from Tuesday to Saturday up until Dec. 23. Dean said the Salvation Army has run kettle campaigns since the early 1900s, and have not veered from tradition.
They have also set up their Santa’s Anonymous Warehouse and are already receiving donations.
“We are partnering with the Optimist Club,” Dean said. “This is year 64 that they are raising money. If you see the toy houses in the different locations, all those toys come back to the Salvation Army. They (the Optimists) have done an amazing job at continuing the tradition,” Dean said,
Dean said that there is always plenty happening with the Salvation Army at Christmas. He said anyone who doesn’t want to use the kettles can still drop off a monetary donation in person at 900 Central Avenue.
“We take Visa, MasterCard, debit, we’ll take a check,” Dean said. “The only thing we will not take: we will not take in-laws, we will not take children, we will not take pets.
“If it’s a monetary donation, we will put it to the best use that we can. Every dollar that we raise, we stretch it as far as we can.”
Donations can also be mailed to 900 Central Avenue, Prince Albert, S6V 4V3.
Dean also thanked all of the volunteers in the present and in the future because they give their time.
“Their time is just as important,” Dean said. “Every hour on this kettle that there’s somebody at, it brings in funds. If there’s nobody here, nobody ringing a bell, there’s nobody, there’s no funds coming in.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
