A dedicated army of volunteers is hard at work this Christmas season, manning the familiar Salvation Army kettles at local malls, grocery stores and other public places - 22 locations this year.
This year, in the face of growing demand for services, the annual campaign is supported by about 450 volunteers hoping to raise $490,000. Online donations are also accepted locally.
"All of the money we raise in the kettles stays in Barrie," said Major Doug Lewis, Assistant Director/Chaplain at the Barrie Bayside Mission Centre.
"It isn't just about Christmas. We are not a bandaid solution. We want to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness."
Throughout the year, the Salvation Army assists a variety of individuals who need help. There's a shelter with 34 beds filled every night, a kitchen where people learn to cook nutritious food on a budget, computer labs where unemployed men and women can learn new skills and apply for jobs.
There is also a work boot program that supplies the necessary safety equipment for working on a construction site when you can't afford to pay, groups for moms and tots, emergency food bank and a backpack program to ensure children have what they need at school.
The holiday "Adopt a Family" program helped 103 families last year and that number will be higher this Christmas.
it all takes money - about 70 per cent is provided by the County of Simcoe and City of Barrie - and the rest raised in the community.
"The good news is there are enough resources to look after poverty and homelessness," Lewis said in a presentation to Barrie city council this week. "The bad new is that it is still out there somewhere."
He appeals to citizens of Barrie and Simcoe County to give to the kettle campaign.
"We become their hands and feet to get the work done when they give us the means to help."
Lewis also likes to share the Sally Ann's success stories.
"Individuals are finding accommodations. People are finding jobs. They are learning how to budget, how to cook and how to parent.
"We are making a difference, one life at a time."
Click the link to donate to the Barrie Bayside Mission kettle campaign.
https://secure.salvationarmy.ca/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?RegistrationID=3149132
