B.C. Salvation Army short $500K of holiday donation goal

With two weeks to left before Christmas, Salvation Army kettle donations are down across the province.

In some communities, donations dropped as much as 50 per cent compared to last year, so far.

“In B.C. right now, we are down about half a million dollars from where we would normally be at this point,” said Mike Leland, a Salvation Army B.C. Headquarters’ spokesperson.

To make matters worse, the organization said there’s been a large increase in the need for its services and programs — a 200 per cent increase in some communities, according to the non-profit organization.

“When we’re down this much, it’s very concerning. The programs and services we run meet basic human needs; that’s food, clothing, sheltering, and that’s for 365 days a year, not just Christmas,” said Leland.

Donations also support the Salvation Army’s social programs, some of which depend on November and December donations in order to run throughout the year.

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“We are going through an opioid crisis and have been for quite some time, and one of our largest programs is addiction treatment programming. When we have a shortfall in November and December, it does impact how we are able to respond to the opioid crisis that’s happening in B.C.,” said Leland.

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In Kelowna, The Salvation Army said it’s more than $100,000 dollars short of its holiday goal, which could impact future services.

“We depend on donations from November and December for the entire year,” said Mark Wagner, Salvation Army Kelowna’s lead pastor.

Salvation Army Kelowna is also feeling both the shortfalls of donations and a spike in families signing up for its services in the Central Okanagan.

“We are moderately concerned; we’re not in a panic, but we feel like we do need to get on this,” said Wagner.

“Our registrations for families coming in to get Christmas assistance have gone from about 500 to 675 families. Even if we meet our goal, we may find ourselves in straitened circumstances because that is a lot of extra people.”

The Salvation Army is asking the public for more help. British Columbians can donate at their local Salvation Army location or at a kettle donation at a local grocery store or mall.

The non-profit is also asking for more volunteers to help with its services.

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