The sound of bells will be heard around Grande Prairie as the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign has kicked off. Community and Family Services Executive Director Lieutenant Peter Kim says that they are seeing more need in the community.
“We have seen a spike and increase of people needing our services. We need funds to run our soup kitchen and food bank. We’ve raised our goal. Last year, it was around $385,000.”
They exceeded the goal last year at over $420,000. Their goal this year is $430,000. The kettles will be set up at No Frills, Superstore, Sears, Canadian Tire, Costco, Walmart, Save On Foods, and the Prairie Mall.
On top of fundraising money, he adds that they will be looking to collect food to put in around 1,000 hampers this Christmas season. The Salvation Army collects non-perishable foods items and Kim says this time of year, they do appreciate donations of things like boxed stuffing and baby foods. They also collect food like Kraft Dinner, pasta, and peanut butter. Donation items can be dropped off at the red bins around the city or at their building location on 83rd Avenue.
They are also doing a toy drive until December 7th. Kim says they need toys for kids but also the teenagers of the community.
“Teens are hard to shop for whether they know them or not. We’re looking for make-up for girls and deodorant for boys. We’re looking for footballs and hockey sticks. I think those are things that interest kids these days. We will even accept gift cards.”
Toys can also be dropped off at their building.