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Salvation Army launches annual fundraiser Simon Whitehouse Northern News Services Published Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Craig Thomas, Salvation Army manager of operations, said in the coming weeks there will be an intensive effort to recruit volunteers to help raise money for the city's less fortunate this Christmas season. "The Kettle Campaign is one of our highest needs for volunteers and we are always fighting for people's time," Thomas said, pointing out that last year there were 160 people involved. He said he would like to see more involvement this year, adding individuals can volunteer as little as an hour of their time. The event will run until Dec. 23 with kettles set up at Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire and the downtown liquor store. Volunteers will ring their bells from 4 to 8 p.m on Thursdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. This year's campaign goal is $30,000. Last year, the Kettle Campaign raised $28,000, exceeding its goal of $25,000. Spicing up this year's event is the return of the volunteer-hours award. Businesses and organizations can submit their volunteer's hours for a chance to win the Kettle Cup. Thomas said the cup is similar to the former Christmas Appeal Champion Bell Ringers award from 2005. "This year, we are just calling it the Kettle Cup and organizations can choose a day or week or whatever and volunteer an hour with their staff. The group with the most number of hours volunteered wins the cup." The focus for the award is volunteer hours rather than donations collected, because not all of the kettle locations receive money in equal amounts. Money raised stays in the ministry, Thomas said, and helps to pay for everything from buying food, to clothing, to vouchers, to food assistance for people in the shelter. He estimated, however, that 70 to 80 per cent of the money goes to filling the food bank. The money also goes into putting together supply hampers, which includes the monthly and daily distribution the Salvation Army provides throughout the year. During the holidays, the organization relies on partnerships to send food and supplies to those most in need, including to people in outlying communities. Hamper packages are largely made up of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, carrots and cookies and are intended to provide for a Christmas dinner. Each hamper weighs about 22.5 kg (50 lbs) and transportation costs are estimated to be three times the cost of the food. Thomas said the donation of shipping costs by Air Tindi and Canadian North to send 250 hampers to nine communities makes it possible to extend the campaign beyond the capital. Partnerships with schools also allows the Salvation Army to provide for the needy during the Christmas season. St. Joseph School contributed 3,500 cans of food to the church organization. Other schools, such as Sir John Franklin High School, have offered 10 to 15 students to work in the soup kitchen during the holidays and volunteer with the Kettle Campaign. Paul MacDonald, a teacher and counsellor at Yellowknife Education District No. 1, said typically around the Christmas season William McDonald Middle School offers a volunteering option for its students, which he supervises for two weeks per term. The initiative is often done with help from educational assistant Pirjo Vanonen. Rather than attending home economics, industrial arts or health and fitness for two weeks, for example, students can attend MacDonald's program - Have the Nerve to Serve - which exposes them to community volunteer organizations, including the Salvation Army. "My whole premise is to expose kids to volunteering so that they realize that what you get out of it is what you put into it and that there is no money attached to it," he said.
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