As The Salvation Army in Mississauga, Ont., prepares to launch its 2020 Christmas Kettle Campaign on Saturday, November 20, at five locations throughout the city, for one volunteer, it is the most wonderful time of the year.

John Reid is a 46-year-old volunteer with The Salvation Army who has been a resident of the Mississauga community for over 24 years. He believes that the best way to celebrate the Christmas season is to volunteer at a kettle.

John’s favourite part of volunteering is watching the various types of people who put money into the kettle. The teenagers who give when they might not be big earners. The seniors who give and tell stories about how The Salvation Army was there to help when it was needed. The children who smile when they donate.

This year will be John’s fourth year as a kettle volunteer. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything, not even a pandemic,” he says.

Volunteering gives him a sense of purpose and well-being. He sees it as an opportunity to give back a fraction of what God has blessed him with throughout his life. For John, The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign extends Christmas from just one day to six weeks of the year.

One of John’s favourite Bible passages is Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” While he knows Christmas isn’t everyone’s tradition, he believes that if someone has experienced a loss at this time of year, especially under COVID-19, that spending some time at the kettle will lesson the burden. He finds it uplifting to watch people give money to The Salvation Army, not to benefit themselves but to help a fellow human being.

For more information about The Salvation Army’s 2020 Kettle Campaign in Mississauga, visit helpakettle.com/Mississauga.