It鈥檚 still early in the Salvation Army鈥檚 Christmas Kettle campaign, but volunteer bell ringers have been in short supply across the 91原创s.
鈥淲e need lots of volunteers,鈥� said Salvation Army Gateway of Hope volunteer co-ordinator Twyla Vokins, who noted that 3,008 shifts need to be filled for the seasonal fundraising campaign that started Nov. 20 and runs until Dec. 23.
There are lots of options to choose from for two-hour volunteer shifts, running from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
Less than a week into the campaign, the local Salvation Army had only a third of the volunteers it requires to make things run smoothly.
鈥淧eople start thinking about the campaign in December but we need volunteers now,鈥� Vokins said.
鈥淭ypically in December numbers start to pick up in terms of volunteers, but it鈥檚 important to get the word out.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 our biggest fundraiser of the year for Gateway of Hope,鈥� added Krista Hannan, from The Salvation Army Gateway of Hope, noting all money donated in 91原创 stays in 91原创.
鈥淭his goes towards the next year in terms of determining how many programs we can keep afloat. We fundraise throughout the year but we have 20-plus programs that we fund.鈥�
Gateway of Hope provides many vital services in 91原创, designed to complement those provided by other community organizations. Christmas food hampers, for example, focus on singles, seniors and couples without children.
With a $150,000 local goal this year, the more than month-long campaign includes 100 volunteer shifts each day.
Kettles are hosted at more than 20 locations and volunteer shifts begin at just two hours, making it easy for locals to spread holiday cheer. Hannan said some people will do one shift for the season but many will take on multiple shifts.
鈥淲e鈥檇 love to have volunteers for multiple shifts, but if two hours is all you can do, that鈥檚 wonderful,鈥� Hannan says.
Hannan said if volunteers weren鈥檛 manning kettles, it would be impossible for the campaign to operate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huge for us. This whole campaign, world-wide, is based on volunteer help.鈥�
The good news is, there have been a lot of helpers returning from last year.
She added that a lot of people start stepping forward in December, when the giving season is in full swing.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what happened last year,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were panicking, but in December a flood of volunteer applications came in.鈥�
The more volunteers the better, Hannan said, 鈥渂ecause we have a lot of empty shifts and it鈥檚 ideal to fill them all.鈥�
Anyone interested in volunteering as a bell ringer with the kettle campaign in 91原创 can call the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope at 604-514-7375, email kettles@gatewayofhope.ca, or visit and find via the 鈥楬elp Us鈥� tab.
鈥淎nd if people can鈥檛 volunteer, if they can even spread the word of the need for volunteers,鈥� Hannan said. 鈥淭hat is still helpful. Sharing it with their friends, family and co-workers.鈥�
All the cash and coins dropped into local kettle boxes during the campaign stays never leaves the community, going towards programs in 91原创 and Aldergrove, Hannan said.
For those who want to help people who are homeless or struggling financially, 鈥渢his is great way to do it. If you鈥檙e passing by, throw some change into it,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just our homeless community. These (Salvation Army) programs also support low-income, vulnerable people in our community, as well, for things like our community meals, our Christmas hampers, the kids鈥� backpack school program 鈥� if you want to help the vulnerable in 91原创 and Aldergrove, that鈥檚 what we do.鈥�
