Get your jingle on; Christmas Kettle campaign underway

KELOWNA – There may not be much snow around to get you into the holiday spirit, but the sound of jingling bells might help as the annual Salvation Army Christmas Kettle campaign gets underway.

Local politicians and celebrities gathered at Kelowna’s Walmart on Friday to take a shift at the kettle outside the department store.

All the money raised between now and Christmas goes toward the Sally Ann’s Christmas hamper effort and helps support local programs throughout the year.

Last year, the Salvation Army in the Central Okanagan distributed over 450 hampers to the community’s less fortunate.

This year’s fundraising goal is $300,000.

“Each year, the needs just seem to grow,” the Salvation Army’s Darryl Burry says in a media release. “There are a lot of hurting people in our — people who struggle financially to make it through the day — wondering if they will pay their rent or mortgage, or put food on the table for their family.”

The Kettle campaign needs hundreds of volunteers to make it a success. You can sign up for a two-hour shift at a variety of locations throughout Kelowna and West Kelowna. Visit the Salvation Army’s website for more information and to register as a volunteer or make a donation.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.