The Calgary branch of the Salvation Army is far behind on its holiday donation campaign goal.
As of Saturday, it says it has raised about $250,000 of its $850,000 goal through its annual Christmas Kettle Campaign.
“Because of the postal strike primarily our donations are down,” says Ian McKenzie with The Salvation Army who adds they’ve reached about 50 per cent of its goal nationwide.
“We do get a lot of donations through the mail and so there’s a significant impact and its important for us to encourage people to get out and donate at the kettles or to use our online donation,” he says.
According to The Salvation Army website, the funds raised through the donations made to the campaign will “help provide direct, compassionate, hands-on service to over 1.9 million people each year in Canada, restoring hope and dignity to those who might otherwise remain invisible in society.”
“If we don’t get the funds we’re looking for, it means that it makes it more difficult for us to deliver the programs and services that are needed. We’ve seen an uptick in people who are requiring access to our services,” says McKenzie.
McKenzie says this year it has seen a nearly 60 per cent rise in first timers asking for services at its food bank, which is up from 43 per cent of first time clients in 2023.
The annual Kettle Campaign wraps up on December 24th.