The Salvation Army wants to make Christmas bright for families, setting a lofty $170,000 fundraising goal during their 2011 Christmas Campaign.
The Salvation Army Miracle Room at the Swift Current Mall will be a hub of activity in the coming weeks, with a strong turnout attending their grand opening pancake breakfast and launch of their Christmas Appeal on Saturday.
“We made almost that last year, and it works out to basically $10 per person. So if everybody in the community can contribute $10, and maybe an extra $10 for your friend or family member who can’t. It’ll go a long way to providing assistance to those in need, not only at Christmastime here but throughout the year too,” Capt. Michael Ramsay explained at Saturday’s grand opening of the Miracle Room in the Swift Current Mall.
The continuation of the Angel Tree program again provides a special way where people can make Christmas extra special for a child.
“These are kids in need who may not get anything other than this at Christmas time, and they get a chance to put down that one thing that they really, really want. And as you pick up the angel and fill it, then you can make that one child’s Christmas extra special.”
Capt. Ramsay noted that Food Hamper registrations will start the last week of November at the Salvation Army and run until the first week of December. This is another way they can reach out to the community and help provide important food supplies to families who may especially be struggling during the Christmas season.
Admittedly, there have both challenges and successes at the Food Bank.
“One of the positives is even though the numbers at our own Food Bank have been going up quite a bit, as they have been across the country, we’ve also been tracking repeat use. And repeat use in Swift Current has been going down. And what that means is that we spend a lot of time talking with people that we help in difficulties. What it means is if repeat use is going down, then we’ve been able to walk with them and help them find a solution to whatever caused them to come to the Food Bank - so whether that’s a gambling addiction, alcohol addiction, simply budgeting, or circumstances like unemployment, court...we’ve been able to set them up with people who can help them, so that’s been one of the really encouraging things about Swift Current.”
In order to help continue these, and other services, they are currently looking for volunteers to ring bells and assist at donation kettles across the community.
One of the new programs they have developed is a justice program for individuals coming back to the city after serving court sentences. The Salvation Army assists them in finding places to stay, employment, and finding social groups other than the social group they were in when they got in trouble in the first place.
Capt. Ramsay noted that Food Hamper registrations will start the last week of November at the Salvation Army and run until the first week of December. This is another way they can reach out to the community and help provide important food supplies to families who may especially be struggling during the Christmas season.
Admittedly, there have both challenges and successes at the Food Bank.
“One of the positives is even though the numbers at our own Food Bank have been going up quite a bit, as they have been across the country, we’ve also been tracking repeat use. And repeat use in Swift Current has been going down. And what that means is that we spend a lot of time talking with people that we help in difficulties. What it means is if repeat use is going down, then we’ve been able to walk with them and help them find a solution to whatever caused them to come to the Food Bank - so whether that’s a gambling addiction, alcohol addiction, simply budgeting, or circumstances like unemployment, court...we’ve been able to set them up with people who can help them, so that’s been one of the really encouraging things about Swift Current.”
In order to help continue these, and other services, they are currently looking for volunteers to ring bells and assist at donation kettles across the community.
One of the new programs they have developed is a justice program for individuals coming back to the city after serving court sentences. The Salvation Army assists them in finding places to stay, employment, and finding social groups other than the social group they were in when they got in trouble in the first place.
There have been no repeat offenders among this early group of program participants.
from the Southwest Booster: http://www.swbooster.com/
