While they didn’t clear the $50,000 benchmark they achieved in 2016, the Thompson Salvation Army still managed to generate an impressive $41,135 through their 2017 Red Kettle fundraising campaign.
According to Salvation Army director Roy Bladen, all the money from this campaign, which ran Nov. 25–Dec. 23, goes directly to the Salvation Army’s food bank and helps fund programs like their Christmas hamper giveaways.
Altogether, 119 of these hampers, valued anywhere from $200 to $350 apiece, were delivered throughout the past holiday season, and the Salvation Army continues to help out those who can’t afford enough to eat throughout the year.
On top of the $41,135 raised, Bladen said they received an additional $3,000–$4,000 worth of gift cards from Sobeys, which can be used at the local Safeway.
At the end of the day, Bladen said all of this was made possible thanks to the people of Thompson, including those who volunteered for the campaign itself and those who donated their hard-earned money.
“Without them there wouldn’t be a food bank,” he said. “It has to be self-supporting. We don’t receive any help at all from the government or any other funding … the only thing we have is the people.”
Looking forward, Bladen said the local food bank is in great shape heading into the rest of 2018, especially when compared to others he’s volunteered at outside of Thompson.
“I have been in food banks where the money has been so tight and the giving has been so poor that they have had to cut the hampers back to every second month,” he said. “But that has never happened here, yet.”
For more information on the Salvation Army food bank, contact Bladen at 204-307-2193.
