Dig a little deeper this holiday season asks Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign
By Nelson Daily Staff
Neither snow nor rain nor sleet nor gloom of night will . . ..
Hold on there. This isn’t the Canadian Postal Workers delivering Christmas mail.
These are the keepers of the annual Salvation Army Christmas Kettle, ready to brave any type of weather leading up to Christmas to help deliver all the necessities to make festive season a happy one for people in Nelson struggling to make ends meet.
The Army Christmas Kettle Campaign began Friday on Baker Street. And there to shake the bells was Major Robin Borrows of the Nelson Salvation Army.
“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Burrows explained from in front of the CIBC on Baker Street.
“It’s important for people to understand that everything donated in the kettles or through the mail in our mailouts this week, stays here in Nelson. We don’t ship money off to anywhere else. All the money remains here to help out.”
Burrows said the number of new families arriving at the door of the Nelson Salvation Army is disturbingly, growing.
“Definitely more people are using the food bank,” Burrows lamented. “We’ve seen probably a 10-15 percent increase in the last year alone.
“It’s very concerning,” he added.
“We’re not only getting people who are not working but we’re also getting the working poor. . .. People who are working close to minimum wage are coming in to get food.
“The bills at home pile up and foods needs to be put on the table so they come to us for help.”
The Christmas Hamper program is just one of many offered by the Salvation Army.
The local organization also has a Breakfast Program, runs a Food Bank as well as a school lunch program on a bi-weekly basis where parents can receive items — meat, break, vegetables and fruit — for lunches.
“We had one child come to us after receiving the items and said to me, “I don’t feel poor anymore”. That was just a huge statement,” Burrows said.
Kettles are found in 2000 locations across Canada and are an opportunity for the public to donate whatever funds they can to support the work of The Salvation Army during the Christmas season and throughout the year.
In Nelson Kettle volunteers will be ringing the bell at bells at locations in the Chahko Mika Mall or on Baker Street in front of the CIBC bank from now until December 24th.
Burrows said people could donate with the Canada Post envelope mail out sent to homes recently sent in and around Nelson.
The public can also go online at filthekettle.com to help, by simply following the steps starting with choosing which kettle location support before making a secure donation using credit card or PayPal account.
“What we raise here during the Christmas Kettle Campaign will pay for a family to have Christmas dinner as well as little bit extra to carry them over through that Christmas week as well as toys for the children,” said Burrows.
Which is just another reason for Nelson area people to dig a little deeper knowing the funds are helping fellow Nelsonites.
