Salvation Army urges last-minute donations to fill Xmas kettle

ith just seven days left to reach its $850 000 Christmas Kettle target, the Salvation Army is urging Barbadians to make a final push to help those in need.

 

The charity has raised over $500 000 so far, said Paul Bernstein, chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, during the distribution of 4,000 Christmas hampers to families on Tuesday at the Army’s Reed Street headquarters.

 

He said: “We set a target of $850 000, as of today’s date we are now crossing $500 000, we still have $350 000 to reach the target and we only have a few more days to go. We are hoping that the public of Barbados will be aware and make an extra effort.”

 

Bernstein revealed that, in previous years, public donations have increased in the final days of the appeal.

 

“We have done this in the past where, in the last week or two, people have come out very favourably and supported us. So we are hoping that will happen again. As you can see, we give out 4,000 hampers, and we feed over 300 people every day,” he said.

 

“It’s not only about giving out hampers at Christmas; we provide a year-long service, and 85 to 90 per cent of the money that we collect goes towards charity. Once people are aware of that, we will get the support.”

 

He added: “All mail appeals that come in January and that were sent out in December will go towards that as well.”

 

The brief ceremony was attended by the President of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason, who expressed her appreciation for the work of both the Barbados Police Service Band and the Salvation Army, acknowledging the need for kindness and support not just at Christmas but throughout the year.

 

She said: “Some of you have come to receive your hampers; remember that what you get, you should share with your neighbours, because this year’s theme is Be a good neighbour. So whatever you have, whatever you get today, look and see if your next-door neighbour could use a little bit of what you’ve been given.”

 

Bernstein urged the public to make an extra effort to donate to the charity in support of those in need: “We’re hoping that the public of Barbados will recognise what we do and will be generous and come out and support us in terms of the number of people seeking assistance.”

 

He noted an increase in people needing clothing. “We need clothes too. People come in all the time and, wherever we can, we assist with everything. So clothing is very important as well. People have a lot of clothes that they don’t use, and people come here begging for something to wear.”

 

He acknowledged that while there is an increase in people needing assistance, donations have been declining.

 

Bernstein said: “Donations have cut back a bit, I guess because of the cost of living and people’s commitments. We are not the only charity; people give to other charities as well, so they split their donations. But for us to be behind, obviously, we’re seeing a decline.”

 

The Salvation Army’s divisional business manager, Sherma Evelyn, underscored the importance of the community being aware of where the funds go: “It is very important that people know we don’t keep it; we give it back to our neighbours so that we can assist someone.”

(LG)