KAMLOOPS — For more than 100 years, the Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign has been collecting funds for people in need.
The campaign is the biggest fundraiser for the local Salvation Army and supports services like meal programs and children’s ministries.
This year it’s easier than ever to donate, as four debit and credit card machines will be rotating to different locations around Kamloops.
Wednesday (Nov. 14) was the first day of the campaign, which will run through to Christmas Eve.
For Ray Phillips, it’s a Christmas tradition. He’s been manning a kettle for 10 years.
“I just do it to help the less fortunate,” Phillips said. “It’s sort of in my make-up, trying to give back to the community that I live in, which I love Kamloops. It doesn’t matter where I would live, I would do the volunteering.”
Phillips says he usually volunteers for 15 to 20 two-hour shifts every campaign season. On the first day of this year’s campaign he was the smiling face outside the London Drugs.
“They do have difficulty getting people to do outside (shifts),” he said. “So, I do most of my shifts here at London Drugs or when the Liquor Store is open I do the liquor stores. But, I also enjoy once in a while getting inside where it’s nice and warm.”
Each person who drops some change into a kettle is helping the Salvation Army feed, clothe and provide financial assistance to people in need.
“We, right now, are feeding upwards of 1,600 people a month and we’re doing children’s programming,” said Major Paul Trickett with the Kamloops Salvation Army. “We also aren’t (just) feeding, we’re giving people help with medical bills, sometimes housing issues. The gamut is all over the map and this money in the next 40 days of collecting basically funds our operation for the whole year.
On average, the yearly Kamloops Kettle Campaign raises around $175,000 and a mail-out campaign collects another $100,000.
This year, the Salvation Army is hoping to top $300,000 by Christmas Eve.
“We have extra kettles out this year, we have new tap machines, (debit) machines this year, so we’re really praying this year that is going to put us over the top,” Trickett said.
The Kettle Campaign requires upward of 300 volunteers.
Phillips says it’s a worthwhile way to spend two hours of a day.
“Just a thank-you is heart-warming enough for me, it gives you a good feeling,” Phillips said. “So, I would hope that people would step forth and volunteer.”
If you would like to get involved with the Kettle Campaign click here.
