By Cecilia Nasmith
The Salvation Army Christmas Kettles will soon be springing up, symbols everyone knows of ensuring that the holidays will be bright for every family regardless of circumstances.
But while everyone knows that their generous donations help in this effort, not everyone knows that the Salvation Army depends on these contributions to help the community year-round.
That big push will launch soon, Christmas Kettle coordinator Yuri Castillo said in a recent interview, running Nov. 21 through Christmas Eve.
Kettles will be set up in eight Cobourg locations (both LCBOs, The Beer Store, No Frills, Foodland, Metro, Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire) and in four Port Hope locations (The Beer Store, the LCBO, Food Basics and Your Independent Grocer).
There will be an official launch staged as part of the big Christmas Magic in Cobourg festivities Nov. 21, and a ceremonial kettle (that will nonetheless accept donations) will be set up at the corner of Albert and Second streets along the candlelight-parade route,
This holiday season will feature a couple of special events to help things along, like two slated for Dec. 7.
On that day, St. John Ambulance will hold its second annual Pack The Back event at No Frills and Canadian Tire. It's a self-explanatory event, where the agency's Medical First Responders will park their ambulances on-site and invite shoppers to fill them with the food and toys that make the holidays bright.
That same day is Celebrity Day at the kettles from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In Port Hope, members of municipal council will take their turn whipping up the holiday cheer (and generous donations) at the LCBO.
In Cobourg, town councillors will do their part at the kettles at Metro and the Elgin Street LCBO, with members of the Cobourg Cougars will take a turn from 2:30 to 6 p,m. at the kettles at Wal-Mart, Metro, Foodland and Canadian Tire.
Wal-Mart will also be part of a national campaign Dec. 21, in which (to a maximum of $100,000) the store will match all kettle donations for the day.
And throughout the season, singers and choirs will be stationed with the kettles at various locations providing festive music.
Kettle donations and responses to their holiday-appeal letters helped them provide 693 hampers, community and family service coordinator Edward Nkyi said. And they expect the need to be greater this year.
In 2017, they spent $42,000 on hampers, which is in line with the $40,000 to $50,000 they expect the program to cost each year – though they may have to spend even more than that for 2019,
As important as these Christmas programs are, Nkyi wants to remind the community that their generous donations help the less fortunate among us year-round. Indeed, they are only one of five capital-intensive programs, along with mobile outreach, homelessness, the health bank and the food bank.
These front-line programs are there when someone's ODSP does not pay all the bills or someone needs medical care that is not otherwise covered.
The mobile outreach program was launched only last April, he said. In its first six months, it has provided some 3,604 meals in the Cobourg and Port Hope communities. And the Thanksgiving dinner prepared by their volunteers was especially appreciated, he said.
“Some of the people would not have had the chance to enjoy the meal because they have no family members,” he said.
These are not all the programs they provide, Nkyi added, offering a list that also included their formula program, the Celebrate Recovery addiction program, emergency-needs assistance, and Rentsmart life-skills program, and summer camps for children, youth and moms-and-tots,
Emergency-disaster services spring into action in the event of such disasters as residential fires. The victims may need everything from clothing to food and lodging.
Some people rely on the food cupboard on a regular basis with local rents so high, he said, and their community lunches also help those financially hard-pressed to stretch those precious dollars.
There are also programs that do not rely on the Salvation Army for primary funding, but which they help administer as an agency that has its finger on the pulse of where the needs are. Jumpstart, for instance, is run through a partnership with Canadian Tire to ensure children can participate in sports activities regardless of a parent's ability to pay.
The annual back-to-school backpack program ensures that children can return to school with the supplies they need to succeed in the new academic year, a program they help run in partnership with Northumberland United Way.
A few weeks after that, when winter sets in, the Coats For Kids program relies on the Salvation Army to distribute the winter wear where it is most needed.
And the furniture bank is a partnership with local thrift stores that ensures that families who can't afford furniture will be taken care of.
This wide range of programs does drain the resources allocated for them. But they make the difference in so many lives, and must continue.
With the community's support, they will.
A big envelope-stuffing bee has been held, with appeal letters set to be mailed out throughout the county. Between this campaign and the Christmas Kettles, the Salvation Army is hoping everyone will give what they can to make sure people who need help year-round can count on it.
Castillo said that the campaign goal for 2018 was $120,000, and the community came through with $132,000.
The goal this year is $135,000, and he hopes history will repeat itself and hopes will be exceeded again.
