After being kept out in the cold by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, the Salvation Army will once again be allowed to ring their bells out BC Liquor Stores.
The distribution branch announced on Monday a reversal of a decision to restrict access in front of public liquor stores for the Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign.
“Due to the potential for short-notice hardship on The Salvation Army’s holiday-timed fundraising efforts, we have decided to allow the Kettle Campaign to proceed outside BC LIQUOR stores,” the BC Liquor Distribution Branch said in a statement.
“We do not want to create hardship for The Salvation Army and will welcome them outside BCL stores this holiday season.”
The Salvation Army Kettle campaign has been allowed to collect money outside BC Liquor Stores for more than 30 years.
The original decision to limit fundraising efforts was made because there were already two other donation campaigns underway in stores.
The Food Banks BC and Share-a-Bear campaigns will continue.
“We did not want to overwhelm customers,” the statement reads.
“One of our concerns was that the Food Bank campaign would suffer if people had already made a donation to the Kettle Campaign outside of our stores.”
The BC Liquor Distribution Branch says 15 per cent of Food Banks BC members are represented by The Salvation Army, meaning food bank donations do support the Salvation Army.
To date, the LDB has raised more than $2.75 million in support of food banks throughout the province since beginning its partnership with Food Banks BC in April 2020.
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