Christmas Kettle Donations Down

Friday, 20 December 2024 06:38

Photo Credit: Woodstock Salvation Army Facebook page

There are only five days left until Christmas, and the Woodstock Salvation Army has raised only 40 percent of its fundraising goal for the Christmas Kettle campaign.

WOODSTOCK - It has been a rough year for the Woodstock Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle Campaign.

Community Ministries Director Captain Kristen Gray says donations are down for a few reasons.

"We've taken a hit this year with the postal strike and we've struggled to have all of our volunteers shifts filled on the kettles. We're only about 40 percent of the way to our final goal this season."

She says the kettles will be out until 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, so she's encouraging everyone to stop by Walmart, Zehrs, Sobeys, No Frills and the LCBO to donate. Each location will have the tap payment option with $5, $10 or $20 increments. You can also tap up to five times, so someone who taps the $20 option five times could easily donate $100.

Walmart Canada will have its Fill the Kettle Campaign tomorrow, so Captain Gray is really hoping shoppers will take the time to donate.

"Walmart corporately will match donations in the kettles across the nation up to $100,000 this Saturday. So this Saturday is a great time to put your donation in the Walmart kettle."

In terms of mail-in donations, the Salvation Army sent out its donation envelopes just before the Canada Post Strike began. Captain Gray is hoping people will finally receive those envelopes over the next few days and adds that any cheques that are postmarked by December 31st will be eligible for a 2024 tax receipt.

She says all of the money raised will help people in need in our community.

"A lot of the money goes to keep our new Hope Market Food Bank operating and having fresh produce and fresh foods available there. It also provides support for other programs that we run through the year like sending kids to camp during the summer, emergency assistance support, and our wellness program that helps with some medical costs not covered by insurance. So there are a lot of different programs that we offer in the community that we are totally reliant on our donors to provide the funding for those things."

The Woodstock Salvation Army has already distributed its Christmas Hampers for the holiday season with almost 800 total. This is a significant increase compared to the 535 hampers that were sent out in 2023.