The Grande Prairie Salvation Army is seeking for volunteers for the upcoming Christmas Kettle Campaign.
This end of year campaign is one of the biggest fundraisers the Salvation Army hosts each year, and the need for food hampers continues to rise, with 2025 on pace to be one of the busiest years for the food bank.
Salvation Army Executive Director Captain Peter Kim says they are currently lacking many volunteer shifts for their planned 12 locations, and with a $675,000 goal, they need as many as possible.
“Our Christmas kettle campaign needs volunteers, we need people to help ring the bells, we have over a 1,800 shifts to be filled.”
Kim says anyone in the community can step up and help out, even if it is just for a few hours.
“Its a great way to help families in need, it’s fun, families, friends, businesses, and groups can all do it. This donation that we raise can provide services for families and individuals throughout the year insuring that there is food security and support for these families and individuals.”
According to Kim, roughly 1 in 5 homes in Grande Prairie are seeking resources from the foundation, ranging from their food bank to their community kitchen. The food hamper need has sky rocketed since before the pandemic, handing out 3,371 hampers in 2019 then ballooned up to 6,021 in 2024.
Kim says he expects the 2025 need to be larger then the previous year.
“The need continues to be very high, before covid we were doing 2000 hampers, we have now went up to 8000 hampers (in 2023), last year we were at 6000 however, now it looks like we will be going past the 6000 again this year.”
To volunteer your time, whether it be to donate items, or participate in the Christmas Kettle Campaign, you can call 780-296-3946, or go to the Salvation Army’s website.
