A Foothills charity is looking for volunteers to help ring jingle bells this holiday season.
The Foothills Salvation Army kicks off its annual kettle campaign on Nov. 20 and is currently filling its schedule of two-hour shifts in local shops where donations can be made. This year kettles will be located at Sobeys, No Frills and Co-op in High River and at Sobeys, Walmart and Costco in Okotoks.
They will run from Monday to Saturday until Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and require many hands to make light work of the organization’s largest fundraising activity, which helps run other initiatives through the year including its Christmas hampers and food bank operations.
“We need as many volunteers as we can get,” said Salvation Army Lt. Chad Cole. “It’s just greeting people with a smiling face – even though we have to wear masks as part of our COVID regulations for this year.”
He said volunteers will help facilitate donations, including running debit machines that will allow donors to use their tap cards in an effort to be as touchless as possible.
“You can just tell the person on the stand how much you want to donate and then just tap your card and you’re good to go,” said Cole.
The Salvation Army is also gearing up for its Christmas hamper program, which will begin Dec. 1. Volunteers are also required to help organize and pack toys and other items for the gift and food hampers that will be delivered to families in need this December.
While needs won’t be truly known until the beginning of December, he said they expect to have more people reaching out for help this year and will need a lot of help to distribute hampers on Dec. 17 and 18. There is no minimum financial requirements to apply for hampers.
He said the Salvation Army wouldn’t be able to provide its necessary services without help from the community – especially this year.
“During this season of COVID our costs have definitely increased with the increased demand so we can meet those needs,” said Cole. “The only way we can keep helping is because our community has just continued to support us even through these difficult times, so a big thank you to the community.”
People who would like to receive a hamper can apply and register for the program through the Salvation Army office via telephone or an online form.
For more information on the kettle campaign or Christmas hamper program, or to sign up to volunteer, call the Salvation Army office at 403-652-2195, ext. 8 (kettles) or ext. 9 (hampers) or check out the organization’s Facebook page, @highriverfoodbank.
