The Salvation Army in Canada is pleased to announce that it raised more than $22 million through its 2015 Christmas kettle campaign, surpassing its $21-million goal.

With a growing demand for its services across the country, The Salvation Army will use the additional money to fund much-needed programs in 400 communities across the country. All of the kettle donations remain in the local communities in which they were raised and enable the Army to help vulnerable people with basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and other provisions. Contributions also allow the Army to continue operating life-changing programs such as substance abuse recovery, housing supports, job and skills training, budgeting and education classes, which help people find a way out of poverty.

“We are truly grateful for the continued support of our donors, volunteers and community partners, which enables us to help struggling Canadians during the Christmas season and throughout the year,” says Commissioner Susan McMillan, territorial commander.

Hosted at more than 2,000 locations across Canada, the annual Christmas kettle campaign is the Army's largest fundraising drive of the year and would not be possible without the thousands of kettle workers who volunteer their time.

The Salvation Army's success during the campaign also comes from the significant assistance of corporate supporters, which included Loblaw Companies Limited, Costco, BC Liquor Stores, LCBO (in Ontario), Canadian Tire, Cadillac Fairview, Metro, Safeway, Save-on-foods, Sobeys and more. Walmart Canada, who partnered with the Army for “Walmart Fill the Kettle Day” on Saturday, December 19, also matched contributions on that day to a maximum of $100,000.

“Without our corporate supporters, The Salvation Army's Christmas kettle campaign would not be successful,” says Commissioner McMillan. “Their support allows us to raise awareness of our efforts to provide essential services to vulnerable people and provides a convenient way for their generous customers to donate to our work.”

Last year in Canada, The Salvation Army helped over 1.85 million people in need. More information about the work of the Army can be found in our Annual Review at: www.salvationarmy.ca/annualreview2014-2015/

Comment

On Friday, January 15, 2016, Shayne Stanton said:

As one of the Kettle volunteers in Abbotsford BC and a member of the Cascade Community Church, I felt truly blessed to be able to do the number of kettle shifts and Angel Tree shifts that I did. It is simply amazing to see so many people give even in the trying times that we are all facing. I cannot wait until next year to do it all over again but hopefully I will be in Winnipeg to do it there.

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