Salvation Army seeks Christmas kettle volunteers

The Salvation Army on Gilmore Road says its Christmas kettle campaign will fall short of rising local need without more volunteers at five grocery and liquor store locations across town.

The five-week fundraiser began November 24 and runs until Christmas Eve at Walmart, Sobeys, Joe’s Independent, No Frills and the LCBO location on Garrison Road, with a local goal of $65,000.

Every dollar donated at a Fort Erie kettle stays in the community to support Salvation Army programs through the year, including its food bank.

Nancy Braye, executive director of Fort Erie’s Salvation Army, told Fort Erie Radio the campaign depends entirely on people willing to stand at kettle spots.

“I think Fort Erie can often be an underserved sort of area, and there is a great need represented here that we see in the people coming through our doors,” said Braye.

Money from the kettles supports several local services, starting with the Salvation Army food bank, which Braye described as the main food bank for Greater Fort Erie and a member of Food Banks Canada, Feed Ontario and Feed Niagara. The food bank serves about 300 households each month.

The Christmas kettles are out Monday to Saturday in the five local stores, where residents can give cash, coins or cheques, or tap to donate by debit, credit, Apple Pay or Google Pay on the terminals at each stand. Receipts are available for larger gifts.

The Fort Erie goal is $65,000, about the same as last year, but Braye said the local campaign finished near $50,000 in 2024 and could not close the gap as demand climbed.

“We did not reach that goal locally last year, so our hope is to reach it this year because we desperately need those funds to meet the needs in our community,” said Braye.

Kettle funds also help cover a free income tax clinic, a water assistance program delivered with the Town of Fort Erie, a Christmas assistance program now underway and a back-to-school program that provides backpacks and sneakers for children at the end of summer.

The local Christmas kettles form part of a long-running international Salvation Army effort that sees kettles at about 2,000 locations across Canada each year. All Fort Erie donations support local residents.

Students can earn community service hours by taking two-hour kettle shifts, and Braye said groups are welcome to sign up together. Service clubs, sports teams and church groups can “adopt” a day on a kettle and share the time among members.

“Fort Erie is a very generous community, and we really value the support we receive and appreciate the opportunity to partner with the community in any way to support those who are most vulnerable,” said Braye.

Anyone interested in volunteering on the kettles can call The Salvation Army at (289) 687-3787 and book a two-hour shift before the campaign ends on December 24.

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