Thanks to the generous donations of residents in West Kelowna, the Westside Salvation Army has raised over $160,000 this holiday season.
However this equals just over half of their goal for the season, sparking a final push for donations before Christmas.
Up until Dec. 24 the red kettle bells will be ringing around Westbank, West Kelowna and Peachland. The Westside Salvation Army is holding out hope to reach its holiday goal of $255,000.
“With less shoppers, less volunteers, less locations, we knew that it was going to be a difficult year to reach our Christmas goal, but we remain hopeful that with the help of our community we will get there” said Westside Salvation Army spokesperson, Lenetta Parry.
READ MORE: ‘We have to act now’: Salvation Army still $11M short of Christmas fundraising goal
The Westside Salvation Army has faced challenges this year, including shutting down for three months and reducing the number of locations and hours that kettles were out on the streets. Several major fundraisers were also cancelled.
However despite challenges, the Salvation Army stated the community has stepped up.
“Despite this, while the need for our programs and services increased, so did the generosity from our community. Clearly our community has rallied behind toy drives in the last couple weeks, but there is still more work to be done,” said Jennifer Henson of the Westside Salvation Army.
This year the Westside Salvation Army also added a virtual kettle to its annual fundraising campaign and set a goal of $10,000 which has not yet been reached.
The Salvation Army wishes to remind donors that all proceeds donated locally, stay local and are used for local programs and services at Christmas and all year long and that every donation makes a difference.
Cash donations can be made at red kettles across the community until Dec. 24. Charitable tax-deductible donations are accepted until Dec . Donations can be made online at www.westsidesa.ca, by telephone at 778-484-9790, via mail or in person at 101- 3531 Old Okanagan Highway.
Charitable tax deductible donations are accepted until Dec. 31.
This story has been updated to show the Westside Salvation Army’s new fundraising total of $160,000, up from $127,000.
READ MORE: Nothing stops Santa from bringing joy to sick children – even with pandemic protocols
READ MORE: Interior Health declares COVID-19 outbreak at West Kelowna retirement home
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: phil.mclachlan@kelownacapnews.com
@newspaperphil
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.