The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign Raises Over $22 Million
Toronto, ON January 7, 2016 – The Salvation Army is pleased to announce that it raised over $22 million through its Christmas Kettle Campaign, surpassing its $21-million goal. With a growing demand for its services across the country, The Salvation Army will use the additional money to fund its much-needed programs in 400 communities. All of the kettle donations remain in the local communities in which they were raised and enable The Salvation Army to help vulnerable people with basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and other provisions. Contributions also allow The Salvation Army to continue operating life-changing programs such as substance abuse recovery, housing supports, job and skills training, budgeting and education classes, which help people find a way out of poverty.
“We are truly grateful for the continued support of our donors, volunteers and community partners, which enables us to help struggling Canadians during the Christmas season and throughout the year,” says Commissioner Susan McMillan, Territorial Commander for The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda.
Hosted at more than 2,000 locations across Canada, the annual Christmas Kettle Campaign is the organization’s largest fundraising drive of the year and would not be possible without the thousands of kettle workers who volunteer their time.
The Salvation Army’s success during the Christmas Kettle Campaign also comes from the significant assistance of its corporate supporters, which included Loblaw Companies Limited, Costco, BC Liquor Stores, LCBO (in Ontario), Canadian Tire, Cadillac Fairview, Metro, Safeway, Save-on-foods, Sobeys and more. Walmart Canada, who partnered with The Salvation Army for “Walmart Fill the Kettle Day” on Saturday, December 19, also matched contributions on that day to a maximum of $100,000.
“Without our corporate supporters, The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign would not be successful,” says Commissioner McMillan. “Their support allows us to raise awareness of our efforts to provide essential services to vulnerable people and provides a convenient way for their generous customers to donate to our work.”
In the Ontario Great Lakes Division, comprising of the geographical area from Windsor, east to Niagara, and north along the Highway 400 corridor and across to Thunder Bay, 5.1 million dollars was raised, surpassing the goal of 4.8 million.
“It’s a credit to good people everywhere who recognize the work of The Salvation Army in providing hope to those in need” says Divisional Secretary for Public Relations and Development Major Pat Phinney. “Without this tremendous generosity, our ability to carry on our mission would be extremely difficult.”
Last year, The Salvation Army helped over 1.85 million people in need. More information about the work of The Salvation Army can be found in our Annual Review at: https://salvationarmy.ca/annualreview2014-2015/.
Please watch the video message below from Divisional Commander Major Morris Vincent.
