Despite having to shutter a majority of in-person Christmas Kettle locations, the Salvation Army Grande Prairie has smashed its goal of half a million dollars with $593,110.77 donated as of December 23rd.
“On behalf of all the families and individuals who we help year-round, I would like to thank all our donors for your continued support of the work of The Salvation Army in Grande Prairie and the Peace region,” says Salvation Army Captain Peter Kim.
Kim says the record-breaking year is a testament to the generosity of the residents in the Grande Prairie region but admits in the run-up to the end of the campaign, worries about falling short remained.
“Especially [since] we had to cancel our volunteers for the kettles because of the new restriction rules,” he says.
“We were worried we weren’t going to make it because we didn’t have the kettles out there, but people have been doing another wonderful thing, by donating online, mailing in their donations so those things have been making a big difference,” he adds.
Kim says any donations received by the food bank before December 31st will be issued a charitable tax receipt for 2020. Despite the goal of the campaign already being hit, it will continue to run through the end of the year.