By Liam Verster

Grande Prairie Salvation Army

Grande Prairie Salvation Army kicks off Kettle Campaign, plans events to benefit vulnerable citizens

Nov 17, 2020 | 10:13 AM

The Salvation Army in Grande Prairie is planning a number of events to go in concert with the launch of the annual Christmas Kettle Campaign.

The Salvation Army will be at Rotary House Tuesday afternoon, handing out 150 winter kits containing warm clothes, toques, gloves and toiletries to Grande Prairie’s homeless population.

“I’m going to be bringing my emergency canteen there, and I have the winter kits all packed and ready [to be] handed out, because the winter is going to be pretty cold this year,” says Captain Peter Kim.

The Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign officially launched on Monday, but there will be a virtual launch party for the non-profits biggest fundraiser of the year held on Thursday.

“It’s called Hope in the City, and it’s a division of all of Alberta, so we’ll highlight the work of the Salvation Army in Edmonton, in Calgary and in Grande Prairie as well,” says Kim.

“And Hayley Wickenheiser, the four-time gold medalist and hockey Hall of Famer is our guest speaker this year.”

The virtual event runs from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, and Kim asks that those interested in tuning in register in advance.

Then on November 24 and 26, the Salvation Army will once again be out at Rotary House, handing out hot chocolate to the homeless population as part of National Addiction Awareness Week.

“So we’re giving alternatives to drinking and substance use to remind people that they can make healthy choices.”

Meanwhile, the annual Kettle Campaign launched on Monday, with volunteers ringing bells and asking for donations to the non-profit. The funds raised during this campaign will go to support all of the programs and operations the Salvation Army will run next year, including the food bank, the community kitchen, and the emergency disaster food truck.

Along with asking for some monetary contributions, Kim says they are in need of more volunteers.

“If a whole bunch of people were to sign up for one or two shifts this year for a couple of hours, it makes a huge difference for the Salvation Army and the work that we do.”

The Salvation Army is ensuring the safety of all volunteers by providing personal protective equipment to those who ring the bell and collect money for the Kettle Campaign.

He says their usual volunteers are retirees, many of whom do not feel comfortable sitting in public spaces collecting donations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim adds that the stations where they do have tables set up are running at limited hours from noon to 6 p.m. because of a lack of volunteers, though he hopes those hours can be extended with more volunteers.

Kim says this year’s Kettle Campaign fundraising goal is a bit less than last year’s target, but they still hope to raise $500,000.

The money raised through this fundraising campaign goes to support Salvation Army’s entire operations for the year.

“It’s not just about the food banks that the Salvation Army does here in our community, we actually partner with the Friendship Centre to do the community kitchen, where we feed those who are hungry.

“We also have our emergency disaster services food truck, which was out this year in Fort Vermillion helping evacuees. And we’re also starting a Pathway of Hope, which is helping (10 to 12) families with inter-generational poverty to get out of the cycle of instability to stability.”

Along with collecting cash, volunteers will have point of sales machines to collect donations.

Those who wish to volunteer a few hours of their time can contact Lynne at the Grande Prairie Salvation Army at 780-538-2848.