As we enter the 2018 Christmas season The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign has started.
This year’s goal is to raise $70,000 throughout the Bulkley Valley. With all funds raised staying locally, the campaign supports programs such as our drop-in centre, food bank program, other children lunch and weekend backpack feeding programs, and other social services provided through The Salvation Army community ministries.
This year, The Salvation Army is on track to distribute over $100,000 worth of food in the Bulkley Valley. Because almost a third of our clients are children, we have expanded our youth weekend backpack feeding program to include Telkwa Elementary School with hopes with expand it to Houston in the future.
In Houston we saw an increase in the usage of our food bank this year. In order to meet that need we expanded our Houston food bank operations to two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays).
In addition, this past year The Salvation Army in Smithers saw over 5,500 visits to our drop-in centre with an additional 4,000 bowls of soup being served. We also provide emergency assistance with clothing, temporary shelter and emergency transportation.
This past summer we spent 24 days serving snacks, drinks and lunch to volunteers and fire evacuees at the Emergency Social Services (ESS) Reception Centre.
If you or your work place would like to be one of our “Heroes For Hope” you can volunteer by contacting Brian at 250—877-1071 or by email at Brian_Williams@can.salvationarmy.org. You can also help by donating to the Kettle campaign at The Salvation Army centre at 1065 Main Street in Smithers, at The Salvation Army Houston store at 3429 Tenth Street in Houston, or at one of our Christmas kettles at the below locations from Nov. 17 to Dec. 24 (excluding Mondays & Sundays).
–Bulkley Valley Wholesale, Safeway No Frills Red Apple Shoppers Drug Mart
–Buy-Low Foods (Houston) RBC CIBC Fields Bulkley Valley Credit Union
You can also be a “Hero For Hope” by supporting one of our other fundraiser or programs:
–Dec. 1-9 Glacier Toyota Festival of Trees (At Glacier Toyota)
–Dec. 2 Breakfast with Santa food drive (Prestige Hudson Bay Lodge)
–Dec. 8 Fill the sleigh toy and food drive (Smithers Red Apple)
–Dec. 13-14 The Moose Smithers Stuff the Truck food drive
–Dec. 15 Houston RCMP Cram the Cruiser food drive at Buy-Low Foods
–Dec. 22 Houston Christmas Hamper handout day (At the Houston Mall)
–Dec. 24 Last day of kettles
Contributions enable The Salvation Army to Give Hope and to bring the spirit of Christmas to those in need financially, emotionally, and spiritually.
–Submitted story
