The Estevan Salvation Army received excellent support from the community in the weeks leading up to Christmas this year, not only in terms of monetary donations, but in terms of volunteers and contributions to the food bank.
The Salvation Army’s annual high-profile kettle campaign came to a close Dec. 24 when the last of the kettles were gathered up from locations in the community. This year the kettles were located at the Southern Plains Co-op’s Estevan grocery store, Walmart, the Estevan Shoppers Mall, Clifton’s No Frills and the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority’s liquor store in Estevan.
The campaign ran from Nov. 28-Dec. 24, and volunteers rang bells at the kettles.
Ronza Reynard, the director of ministry for the Salvation Army in Estevan, said the kettles received about $29,000 this year, which surpassed their goal of $25,000.
Reynard said they had about 30 businesses and service groups and another 100 individuals who volunteered to ring bells at the kettles.
“Most of the groups have anywhere from two or three to possibly 10 or 12 volunteers,” she said. “So we had huge support from the community in getting the kettles up and running.”
There were a few hiccups that forced them to take the kettles down early, or have staff members at the Salvation Army step in to ring bells, but those were typically due to unusual circumstances.
“We had other people who could step up, and we have a good list of reserves who say ‘phone me on short notice if something happens,’ and so we were able to take advantage of that,” Reynard said.
The Salvation Army also had its annual letter appeal, which had a goal of $65,000, and while it was hovering around $61,000 as of last week, Reynard was certain they would eclipse that goal, too, because there was still money coming in that they hadn’t received.
“We do know of a few people who have committed to the end of 2019, so we’re quite confident that we’ll hit that goal as well,” said Reynard.
The total between the kettle campaign and the letter appeal was hovering right around the $90,000 goal, even before the last of the donations came in.
The money raised through the Christmas campaigns is used to support a variety of ministry initiatives in the community.
“We want people to be aware that it does stay in the Estevan area,” said Reynard. “We’ll be using that money to help with our food bank. We buy produce and milk and meats and vegetables. All of that gets purchased each week.’
The money will also be used to send local children to a Salvation Army summer camp, and support their back to school backpack program, the Salvation Army’s lunchbox program and other initiatives.
As for the food bank, Reynard pointed out that she has been with the ministry for nine years, and it’s the first time in years they have not needed a certain type of food.
“It is probably, by far … the most we have received in December,” said Reynard.
She estimates the Salvation Army received close to 8,000 pounds of food in the weeks prior to Christmas, and that number will climb, as Green for Life (GFL) Environmental is still bringing in food through their Box Out Hunger food drive, in which six participating businesses and organizations collected non-perishable boxed food items in a fun competition.
“GFL brought as much as we could handle in our space at the moment so we could get sorted through it, date it and get it on the shelves, so they’re bringing it to us in small increments,” said Reynard.
The food bank was also one of the participating charitable organizations involved with the Estevan Mercury Publications’ Christmas Cash promotion, in which people could enter to win $1,000 when they made a donation to the food bank at one of 36 participating businesses. Seven large totes of food were collected. Other businesses had food drives, while local grocery stores did food hampers.
“Right now we are truly blessed,” she said. “We are overwhelmed with the kindness and the generosity of Estevan and the surrounding areas, and how they have helped us and come through, once again, for the food bank and for the Salvation Army.”
The food collected will be used to help meet the growing need in Estevan during the year. The food bank has seen an increase in the number of clients the last few years.
The Salvation Army also visited about 350 seniors prior to Christmas to chat with them in the nursing homes, and brought them calendars and teddy bears, which were collected through the Estevan Bruins annual Teddy Bear Toss night in early December.
Reynard said it was a busy season for the Salvation Army, between the kettles, the food drives and the donations they received, but it was worth it and it proved to be a wonderful season for them.
