The spirit of the holidays and giving to those in need was at the forefront Thursday at Walmart in Williams Lake as the Salvation Army launched their annual Christmas Kettle Campaign.
New Lieutenant Dawn Butt says it was very well received.
“We had a good turnout of people supporting us which was awesome. We have a goal of $90,000 for Williams Lake this year to help raise funds for the community, and the provincial goal for the Salvation Army is $4.5 million dollars.”
Butt says those funds will go back into things like their soup kitchen, Christmas hampers, and any toys that do not get purchased from their Angel Trees.
She says the Salvation Army has seen an increase in kids this year using their services, and that the number of toys hampers that will be going out has increased by 25%.
“I think the wildfires led to that, not just that but also the Tolko fire possibly. There are lots of places hiring in town but not everybody has the skills needed, and with the fires came the loss of income,” says Butt.
“Our family was out of town for 3 weeks during the evacuation, and we know there were lots of families that had extended health issues so they couldn’t come back. So that plays into being able to afford Christmas for sure.”
The Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign runs until December 23 with six locations in Williams Lake: Walmart, Canadian Tire, Wholesale Club, BC Liquor Store, Save-On-Foods, and Safeway.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the Campaign or at the Salvation Army in Williams Lake can call 250-392-2423.