NEWS RELEASE
THE SALVATION ARMY
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The Salvation Army would like to sincerely thank the citizens of Guelph and surrounding areas who contributed to our Christmas Campaign in 2021. With your help we were able to provide dignity and hope to hundreds of families and individuals throughout our communities in the past year. Whether it was a gift of time or treasure – we couldn’t have done it without you. In the final days of the Christmas Campaign, The Salvation Army raised $413,000, just $12,000 shy of our $425,000 goal.
The Salvation Army is called to a mission of service that provides dignity and respect. We believe that everyone should have access to basic rights such as food, clothing, shelter, emotional and spiritual support, and that no one person is more or less valuable than another.
“We are so grateful to the people of Guelph and the surrounding communities for their generosity and support of The Salvation Army, not just at Christmas, but all throughout the year”, says Major Peter van Duinen, Corps Officer for The Salvation Army. “We are once again overwhelmed and humbled by the confidence shown in us during these extremely difficult economic times."
Money raised during the Christmas Campaign helped support struggling families and individuals in our community at Christmas and will continue to provide support through The Salvation Army’s Community & Family Services throughout the year.
Tim Zekveld, Director of Operations, and this year’s Christmas Kettle Coordinator, noted, “Once again this year, residents throughout our region have responded with great generosity to the Christmas Kettle Campaign, both through donations and volunteer time, and I would like to thank you sincerely for your support of The Salvation Army. Your generosity brings comfort to the less fortunate, not just at Christmas, but all year.”
The Salvation Army Christmas Campaign helps us provide direct, compassionate, hands-on service to more than 10,000 people in our community each year. This annual campaign has grown into one of our communities most significant and recognizable charitable events. It is also one of the longest standing charitable events, as The Salvation Army has been serving the greater Guelph area for 138 years.
In 2021, our Christmas hamper program provided food hampers to over 1,000 households, and over 1,200 children and teens received toys. In all, we were able to serve over 3,600 individuals through our Christmas hamper program.
The Salvation Army relies on your support, and we thank you for showing confidence in our mission by entrusting us with your generous gifts. Your donations allow us to offer, not a handout, but a hand up to hundreds throughout our community who have met with hard times.
For this, we are truly grateful. If you still wish to give you can donate online by visiting guelphsa.ca/donate or calling 519-836- 9360.
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