Community

Helping Hands

Salvation Army Christmas campaigns help provide support year round…

By Ian Lidster • December, 2009

rguably of all the symbols that mark the advent of the Christmas season, few are more ubiquitous than the Salvation Army kettle. And why not?  Christmas, in its true meaning, is about ‘giving’ and blessedly the people of the Comox Valley are mighty generous in caring for the wants and needs of the less fortunate among us.
Since its beginning in London’s East End, two years before Canadian Confederation, the Salvation Army has become a worldwide non-government provider of social services. The Canadian Salvation Army began in 1882, and the pastoral mission came to the Comox Valley in 1964.
“Christmas is our main fundraiser,” says Pastor Darryl Burry, lead pastor of the Comox Valley Missions.  “Funds raised during the Christmas season are utilized throughout the entire year.  Our goal is to meet human needs, and our challenge is how we practically put it all in place.”
That is in itself a tall order in that the ‘Sally Ann’, as it is popularly referred to and not impolitely, has many irons in the fire of giving to the public.  The homeless shelter on Pidcock Avenue (Salvation Army supported and operated, with assistance from BC Housing) is in huge demand in these economically perilous days, and the Family Services Centre is also meeting major challenges in caring for the wants and needs of the dispossessed.
“Our goal at Christmas is to see that there is nobody falling through the cracks,” Burry says. “Right now registrations are ongoing for our hamper program.  Last year we distributed 650 hampers, and this year it will be a matter of greater demand as the need for social assistance is up 25 per cent over last year.  Our caseworker in Family Services says that the stories are heartbreaking in which highly skilled people are jobless, homeless and subsisting on a pittance.”
The challenge always, Burry says, is to treat people in need with dignity and respect, regardless of how they ended up in a position of want.  Some end up in homeless poverty due to job loss, family illness or other misfortune.  Others lose it all due to abuse of drugs or alcohol.  None of those circumstances matter to the Salvation Army in terms of giving assistance, Burry stresses.
“A lot of us, when we haven’t been exposed to the other side of the tracks, don’t realize that the majority of people currently living in our community are one mere paycheque away from solvency,” he says.  “So, if the job is lost—and many have been—people are left in a desperate situation.”
The Salvation Army’s philosophy in terms of giving is that they strive to give a “hand up” rather than a “hand out,” Burry says.  That philosophy goes back to Salvation Army founder William Booth, who believed that despite the fact the organization is a Christian mission, the first thing a person needs in getting that hand up is his or her physical health.
“That is our mission,” Burry says.  “We act as the hands and feet of Jesus for those who are temporarily unable to act as they would wish due to their deprivation.”
Back to the kettle campaign. This year’s goal for the Comox Valley is to raise $70,000, Burry says.  He adds that all funds raised in this community stay within this community.
Does the $70,000 get the job done?  Not really, Burry says.  Last year the shelter cost more than $100,000 just in food products, so there is obviously a gap in revenue.
“On the other hand, this is a very generous community,” he says.  “We’ve been blessed over the years by the generosity of the community. Last year, for example, we were 45 per cent behind in our kettle campaign.  We ran a media release stating that fact, and after that ran we ended up surpassing our goal.  People should understand that even if they only have a few pennies to spare, those pennies can have a big impact.”
This year the kettles will be in eight locations in the community.  The campaign itself began on November 20, and beginning in the first week of December, the drive runs six days a week.  Local kettle sites are Wal-Mart, Superstore, Safeway, Canadian Tire, Quality Foods and the three government liquor stores.  The liquor store locations are especially fruitful, Burry adds.
Although the majority of the kettle minders are volunteers, Burry says it is necessary for the Salvation Army to hire some paid staff to cover all the hours demanded, which works out to 1,600 hours.  The work is all in the capable hands of staff member Dawn, he says, who coordinates the kettles, the teams and the schedule of shifts, and so forth.  A demanding chore.
While the kettle campaign is a vital fundraiser for the Salvation Army, much of the essential revenue emanates from the familiar thrift stores in Courtenay and Comox.
“The thrift stores enable us to carry on,” Burry says. “But, even with them, like with any other business these days, the overhead continues to rise.  But, people should remember that when one donates items to the stores, or makes a purchase, that enables us to feed somebody in need.”
The Salvation Army’s philosophy in terms of giving is that they strive to give a “hand up” rather than a “hand out,” says Darryl Burry, lead pastor of the Comox Valley Missions. The Sally Ann kettles can be found at eight locations throughout the Valley this holiday season, including SuperStore.

The Salvation Army’s philosophy in terms of giving is that they strive to give a “hand up” rather than a “hand out,” says Darryl Burry, lead pastor of the Comox Valley Missions. The Sally Ann kettles can be found at eight locations throughout the Valley this holiday season, including SuperStore.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

Arguably of all the symbols that mark the advent of the Christmas season, few are more ubiquitous than the Salvation Army kettle. And why not?  Christmas, in its true meaning, is about ‘giving’ and blessedly the people of the Comox Valley are mighty generous in caring for the wants and needs of the less fortunate among us.

Since its beginning in London’s East End, two years before Canadian Confederation, the Salvation Army has become a worldwide non-government provider of social services. The Canadian Salvation Army began in 1882, and the pastoral mission came to the Comox Valley in 1964.

“Christmas is our main fundraiser,” says Pastor Darryl Burry, lead pastor of the Comox Valley Missions.  “Funds raised during the Christmas season are utilized throughout the entire year.  Our goal is to meet human needs, and our challenge is how we practically put it all in place.”

That is in itself a tall order in that the ‘Sally Ann’, as it is popularly referred to and not impolitely, has many irons in the fire of giving to the public.  The homeless shelter on Pidcock Avenue (Salvation Army supported and operated, with assistance from BC Housing) is in huge demand in these economically perilous days, and the Family Services Centre is also meeting major challenges in caring for the wants and needs of the dispossessed.

“Our goal at Christmas is to see that there is nobody falling through the cracks,” Burry says. “Right now registrations are ongoing for our hamper program.  Last year we distributed 650 hampers, and this year it will be a matter of greater demand as the need for social assistance is up 25 per cent over last year.  Our caseworker in Family Services says that the stories are heartbreaking in which highly skilled people are jobless, homeless and subsisting on a pittance.”

The challenge always, Burry says, is to treat people in need with dignity and respect, regardless of how they ended up in a position of want.  Some end up in homeless poverty due to job loss, family illness or other misfortune.  Others lose it all due to abuse of drugs or alcohol.  None of those circumstances matter to the Salvation Army in terms of giving assistance, Burry stresses.

“A lot of us, when we haven’t been exposed to the other side of the tracks, don’t realize that the majority of people currently living in our community are one mere paycheque away from solvency,” he says.  “So, if the job is lost—and many have been—people are left in a desperate situation.”

The Salvation Army’s philosophy in terms of giving is that they strive to give a “hand up” rather than a “hand out,” Burry says.  That philosophy goes back to Salvation Army founder William Booth, who believed that despite the fact the organization is a Christian mission, the first thing a person needs in getting that hand up is his or her physical health.

“That is our mission,” Burry says.  “We act as the hands and feet of Jesus for those who are temporarily unable to act as they would wish due to their deprivation.”

Back to the kettle campaign. This year’s goal for the Comox Valley is to raise $70,000, Burry says.  He adds that all funds raised in this community stay within this community.

Does the $70,000 get the job done?  Not really, Burry says.  Last year the shelter cost more than $100,000 just in food products, so there is obviously a gap in revenue.

“On the other hand, this is a very generous community,” he says.  “We’ve been blessed over the years by the generosity of the community. Last year, for example, we were 45 per cent behind in our kettle campaign.  We ran a media release stating that fact, and after that ran we ended up surpassing our goal.  People should understand that even if they only have a few pennies to spare, those pennies can have a big impact.”

This year the kettles will be in eight locations in the community.  The campaign itself began on November 20, and beginning in the first week of December, the drive runs six days a week.  Local kettle sites are Wal-Mart, Superstore, Safeway, Canadian Tire, Quality Foods and the three government liquor stores.  The liquor store locations are especially fruitful, Burry adds.

Although the majority of the kettle minders are volunteers, Burry says it is necessary for the Salvation Army to hire some paid staff to cover all the hours demanded, which works out to 1,600 hours.  The work is all in the capable hands of staff member Dawn, he says, who coordinates the kettles, the teams and the schedule of shifts, and so forth.  A demanding chore.

While the kettle campaign is a vital fundraiser for the Salvation Army, much of the essential revenue emanates from the familiar thrift stores in Courtenay and Comox.

“The thrift stores enable us to carry on,” Burry says. “But, even with them, like with any other business these days, the overhead continues to rise.  But, people should remember that when one donates items to the stores, or makes a purchase, that enables us to feed somebody in need.”

salvationarmy.ca