Salvation Army seeking holiday season help
The Salvation Army is putting out a call to help families in need across our community this holiday season.
For more than 40 years the organization has helped people like Achamkeng Abille make it through at this time of the year with its Christmas Hamper Program.
“I was just thinking how Christmas was going to be, but now I’m blessed,” says Abille, a full-time nursing student and mother of two young children.
Abille, along with thousands of others, are picking up their hampers at different sites until Dec. 17.
However, to make everyone’s holiday season festive, the Salvation Army says it needs help.
“We’re at about 5,000 applicants this year and that’s up from last year when we had 4,500,” says Nancy Kerr, the manager of the hamper program.
Kerr says they need help with toy donations, “Our greatest need now is ages two to six for boys and girls as well as boys and girls from nine to 12.”
Donations for the Christmas Kettle Campaign are also down this year after a difficult 2020.
“With COVID last year we did not meet our goal of about $550,000 so we’re even in more need this year,” says Jon DeActis, with the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope.
He says besides money they need volunteers to man the kettles, “Right now we’re very short on volunteers so this is kind of a call out for anybody who’s in a place to volunteer.”
Kerr adds, “We’re just trying to put smiles on faces of children on Christmas morning.”
For more information on how you can donate a toy to the Christmas Hamper Program click here or to volunteer at one of the kettles click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP uncovers plot to sell drones and equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.
Cherry blossoms blooming in Canada: Here's what to know
There is a swaying sea of colour in some cities across Canada, and it's a sure sign of spring: cherry blossoms are in bloom.