{"id":3053,"date":"2025-04-28T13:37:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T13:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/?p=3053"},"modified":"2025-05-26T11:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:27:12","slug":"bringing-the-spirit-of-christmas-to-life-through-volunteerism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/2025\/04\/bringing-the-spirit-of-christmas-to-life-through-volunteerism\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing the Spirit of Christmas to Life Through Volunteerism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laura Jean Falla remembers her very first shift volunteering on The Salvation Army Christmas kettles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe had more than one person stop by and tell us how happy they were that we were helping with The Salvation Army because they helped their family,\u201d Laura Jean recalls. \u201cA couple of them were families that were down on their luck and said they would never have had a Christmas if it wasn&#8217;t for The Salvation Army.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working alongside her husband, Ron, at Limeridge Mall in Hamilton, Ontario, the couple has been volunteering for the Kettle Campaign for more than five years. This past holiday season, the pair covered two weekly shifts during the six weeks leading up to Christmas.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anecdotes weave their way into shifts while the Fallas smile and wave to those rushing to finish their Christmas shopping, as Laura Jean recalls a woman in her mid-70s with a European accent who had a heartwarming story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe said, \u2018When we came to Canada and then to Hamilton in the early 1940s during the war, we had nothing, absolutely nothing. And The Salvation Army came to our house with a basket of food for us, and it just made our Christmas.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laura Jean says that she and Ron, who both grew up around The Salvation Army, keep volunteering during the kettle campaign because they know the funds raised are going directly to those in need of assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The couple plans to return to their kettle stand at Limeridge Mall this coming Christmas season to continue to make a difference in the lives of those looking for support through The Salvation Army\u2019s transformative programs and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is The Salvation Army helping our community,\u201d Laura Jean says. \u201cIf you need help, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, and do not be embarrassed to go ask for help.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your donations help bring transformative and life-changing programs to anyone in need in Hamilton and across Ontario. Donate today at <a href=\"\/\">www.SalvationArmy.ca<\/a> or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. To learn more about volunteering, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/volunteer\">https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/volunteer<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Laura Jean Falla remembers her very first shift volunteering on The Salvation Army Christmas kettles. \u201cWe had more than one person stop by and tell us how happy they were that we were helping with The Salvation Army because they helped their family,\u201d Laura Jean recalls. \u201cA couple of them were families that were down [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[181,182,176,183,184,185,186,188,189,190,191,53,192],"location":[],"class_list":["post-3053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","tag-bell-ringing","tag-christmas","tag-christmas-kettle-campaign","tag-christmas-kettles","tag-donate","tag-donations","tag-innovative","tag-life-changing","tag-limeridge-mall","tag-ring-the-bells","tag-ron-falla","tag-the-salvation-army","tag-transformative"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - 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