Port Alberni’s Salvation Army kettle campaign is only at 29 percent of its $55,000 total, and campaign coordinator Hannah McNalley says they need more volunteers to help fill shifts.
The campaign ends at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23.
The annual Christmas kettle campaign kicked off in the Alberni Valley at the end of November. Volunteers staff the kettles in front of six different locations around the city and solicit donations from the public.
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“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” McNalley said. “I only have a few places filled for every day.”
Funds from the kettle campaign will help the Salvation Army fill 600 Christmas hampers and fulfill their community services and programming, including the Community Food Bank for 2018, she added. That’s why it’s critical that they reach their annual goal.
The hamper application deadline is past, but Salvation Army Lt. Michelle Cale said they will assist families on an emergency basis. People in need of food can call 250-723-6913 (ext. 221) and they will be helped on a case-by-case basis.
People will be able to pick up hampers Dec. 20–22 by appointment.
Anyone wishing to volunteer for a two-hour shift is asked to call McNalley at 250-731-6627. “They’re just two-hour shifts so there’s lots of availability to work around people’s schedules,” she said.