Donation numbers are down and Lethbridge charities need fundraising help

The two-week countdown to Christmas has begun and with it comes crunch time for charities.

The Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign kicked off at the beginning of December but is experiencing a bit of a slow start compared to last year.

“We’re probably about $20,000 behind this year,” Kettle Bell coordinator, Barney Barnaby, said.

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Last year, $147,000 was raised, surpassing the Salvation Army’s goal of $140,000. This year’s goal is $156,000, but only $58,000 has been raised so far.

“We’re a bit behind and I think one of the reasons is the weather — it doesn’t feel like it’s Christmas time yet,” Barnaby said. “I think the economy is down a little bit as well.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're a bit behind and I think one of the reasons is the weather — it doesn't feel like it's Christmas time yet," Barnaby said. "I think the economy is down a little bit as well."

But while donations are down, the demand for help is up.

This year, the Christmas Hope campaign run by the Salvation Army, Interfaith Food Bank and the Lethbridge Food Bank, is seeing an increase in registration.

“Last year, by the end of December, we provided 1,634 hampers between the three agencies, so right now we’re sitting at 1,500,” said Maral Kiani Tari, the executive director of the Lethbridge Food Bank.

Kiani Tari is anticipating as many as 1,800 hamper requests by Christmas, knowing that many clients will come through over the next two weeks.

Donations for Christmas Hope are being accepted until December 22 and the Kettle Campaign runs until December 23.

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Organizers remain optimistic their fundraising goals will be met.

“We always know that in the last two weeks of our campaign that we also get a lot of more donations as it gets closer to Christmas,” Barnaby said.