Salvation Army kicks off Christmas Kettle Campaign

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on November 27, 2024.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Zach Marshall, Community ministries Officer with Salvation Army receives a donation from Chris Whittle, Chinook Arch District Deputy Grand Master with the Lethbridge Masons for the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle Campaign on Wednesday at Park Place Mall.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign has officially kicked off and members of the Lethbridge Masons are ready to continue their longstanding tradition of manning the kettle located at Park Place Mall for over 25 years.

Zach Marshall, Community ministries Officer with Salvation Army told the Herald Tuesday that their Christmas Kettle Campaign is their largest public fundraising event of the year and they are grateful for the support received by the Lethbridge Masons throughout the years.

“This campaign in Lethbridge has been going on for 126 years, so it’s really special to be just one small part of this storied legacy,” said Marshall.

 He said their goal this year is to raise $220,000 for the work they do at Christmas time with their Toys for Tots campaign, but also the work that they do throughout the year to address food insecurity, housing supports, community-oriented programming, among other things.

 “The Masons and the Masonic groups here in Lethbridge have been a really good partner with us and for many years. We’ve enjoyed this partnership with them and they are always manning the Park Place Mall Kettle. So, they take ownership of this kettle from now until Dec. 23 when our campaign ends,” said Marshall.

 He said the partnership helps them in many ways, one of them being the ability to always have volunteers signed up for that specific kettle, which is something that the Salvation Army does not have to worry about and therefore can focus their volunteer recruitment efforts for kettles in other locations across the city.

 “It’s really good for us to know that the community supports us, that other service organizations support the work that we do and it’s a great way for us to partner with our community to give back,” said Marshall.

The Lethbridge Masons are not only supporting the Salvation Army by manning the Park Place Kettle, but also by providing them with a significant donation, which was given to Marshall on Tuesday after setting up the kettle.

Chris Whittle, Chinook Arch District Deputy Grand Master with the Lethbridge Masons told the Herald Tuesday that The Masonic Foundation of Alberta has a Christmas wish list which allocates funds to charities and thanks to this they were able to donate to the Salvation Army.

“We were able to donate $2,000 through the Masonic Foundation of Alberta. That money is generated through lodges, through their fundraising efforts and donations by the individual members of the Masonry,” said Whittle.

He said they donate time and money to various organizations as part of their Freemasonry tenants they believe in.

With a total campaign goal of $220,000 for the Salvation Army this year, Marshall added that part of the funds they receive annually come from mailed-in donations and as the Canada Post strike continues, they are hoping those donations may be received by other channels.

“The postal strike couldn’t come at a worse time for us and other charitable organizations, but people have been really good so far by dropping off their donation or give over the phone,” said Marshall.

 He added that there are multiple ways people can donate including through the kettles placed at various locations across the city.

 “They can write a check and pop it in any of our kettles, or they could drop it off at our location at 1302 4th Avenue South, or they can pay with Visa or MasterCard over the phone, or they can also stop by our location to donate by debit on one of our tap machines, or online on our website,” said Marshall.

 For those wishing to utilize the kettles for their donation drop-off they are located at Walmart North, Walmart South, Save of Foods West, Park Place Mall, Real Canadian Superstore and the Salvation Army Thrift Store.