PENTICTON — The Salvation Army in Penticton is doing its best to make this a Merry Christmas for hundreds of families in the community. This year, the number of applicants requesting a special hamper has gone down slightly, from 780 last year to 750. Barb Stewart, program coordinator with the Salvation Army, says this is great news.
“We’re saying thank goodness, that’s a good thing. It’s a very good thing for our business,” she says.
Besides food, the group will also be handing out 350 presents and the need for gifts has gone up.
Even though Toys for Tots To Teens, which was held earlier this month, successfully collected hundreds of presents for local charities, the Sally Ann still needs nearly a hundred presents — all of them for teenagers.
“I think a lot of people think of a young child when they open up their hearts for the Christmas toy bags. So for the teens, there’s an ongoing need,” explains Stewart.
She suggests purchasing gift cards for the teenagers.
The charity hopes to raise $240,000 by Christmas to help pay for the holiday hampers and gifts, and it also goes toward sustaining the group throughout the year.
So far, it is halfway there and Stewart thinks it won’t be long before it achieves this goal.
“This is a kind, kind community and we will meet our goals.”
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