The holidays may be over but that doesn't mean the giving needs to end.
After organizing a number of Christmas campaigns, non-profits and charities throughout New Westminster are hoping people will continue donating well into 2014.
The Salvation Army, which is always in need of monetary donations, raised $330,987 across New Westminster and the Tri-Cities during its annual kettle campaign. According to Pastor Sharon Tidd, this number is slightly less than in past years.
“It is about $20,000 below last year’s but we’ve had a push on using more volunteers this year so our expenses will be down and we anticipate that our net results are going to be where we need them to be,” she told The Record.
But despite the decline in donations collected, Tidd is calling the 2013 kettle campaign a success.
“It was a successful season for sure, and all four communities have supported us in an amazing way so we’re very grateful,” she added.
The money collected by kettle volunteers and staff will be used for a number of programs the Salvation Army runs year-round, including shelters, transitional homes, family services and food services.
“All those funds help to keep those programs running,” Tidd said.
People are encouraged to donate money to the Salvation Army or food, which is used for its food programs or emergency food bank. Items such as eggs, pancake mix, ham, sausage or bacon are needed all year for the Salvation Army’s brunch program, while canned foods or non-perishables are collected for its food bank.
Donating used goods to the organization’s thrift stores also helps generate revenue needed to fund these programs.
Monarch Place, an organization that provides emergency shelter for women and children, along with outreach support services and other community programs, is another organization that ran a successful holiday campaign.
"It went quite well," said Ann Nicholson, house manager at Monarch Place.
Typically, the organization collects donations for about 70 hampers for families in need during the holidays. This year, however, the organization received enough donations to make nearly 80 hampers for families.
"Some donated money, some donated total hampers, gifts, gift cards, all kinds of things," Nicholson said. "One person donated a full turkey dinner."
While it was great to people so happy about donating during the holidays, Monarch Place collects donations all year-round, Nicholson said.
Most-needed items include size small women's underwear, single comforters and/or quilts, pillows, grocery gift cards, non-perishable canned goods, and women's winter boots (can be gently used). Other items the organization needs include deodorant, hairbrushes, dishes, teaspoons, dishtowels, and large plastic bins with lids.
Monarch Place wasn't the only organization preparing hampers for families in need. The Seniors Services Society’s Be a Santa to a Senior campaign collected enough donations to deliver 107 gifts to seniors in New Westminster and 80 gifts to seniors in Burnaby.
Several businesses and local non-profits also donated to the campaign, including New Westminster’s own Paddlewheeler pub, which sponsored 10 men and 10 women during the campaign.
The Lower Mainland Purpose Society also delivered more than 130 hampers to families in Purpose programs and at John Robson Elementary School. The hampers included a number of items on the families' wish lists as well as grocery gift cards, clothing and more.
The New Westminster-based non-profit collects monetary donations all year long, said Grace Lomat of the Purpose Society. Money donated is used to run the different programs available to families in New Westminster, Burnaby and the Tri-Cities.
