ESTEVAN - The Salvation Army in Estevan is getting ready for their busiest time, which also helps them to support anyone in need in the area through most of the year.
Their annual kettle campaign is set to kick off on Dec. 1 and will run until Dec. 24. Kettles will be out at Southern Plains Co-op’s Estevan grocery store, Walmart and No Frills from Wednesday to Saturday, and in the Estevan Market Mall and at SLGA’s Estevan Liquor Store on Saturdays.
"We are in need of volunteers for our kettle campaign again this year, whether that be a group or business or just individuals," said Ronza Reynard, the director of ministry for the Salvation Army in Estevan.
The Salvation Army is now working on the schedule for their kettles, and people can call their office and ask for Lynn to book two-hour shifts for their businesses or for individuals.
"Last year, we had such a successful time with it. We were able to fill all of our spots. And that's exciting when we weren't sure if we're going to be able to, just because of how things were. But it was very successful, we had a full season and we're hoping to have that again this year," Reynard said.
People can also expect to see letters in their mailboxes near the end of the week of Nov. 15.
The goal for the kettle campaign this year is $20,000 and for the mailouts, it is $70,000.
"This is a big fundraiser for us. The money that we collect from all of our communities surrounding Estevan, including Estevan, it all stays here, and it helps us with all of our programming throughout the year. Whether that be through our food bank, our back-to-school backpack program, our school lunch program, sending kids to camp, and then just when people come to us for a need, we can help fulfill that with the funds that we raise at Christmas time," Reynard explained.
"And the community supports us so well. They know what we're doing in our communities and how we're helping people. It's great that they turn around and help us during this very busy season. We appreciate that."
The Salvation Army also expects a few food drives to be happening in the community to raise donations for the organization. On Dec. 9, Southern Plains Co-op and Golden West Radio will host a Blow Away Hunger food drive at the Southern Plains Co-op’s Estevan grocery store. GFL Environmental also plans to have an initiative, collecting any kind of non-perishable food items.
"I know they've had a number of businesses already inquiring about that. So that's exciting because that's a really big one. They're going to be running that in December," Reynard said.
After a year of a break, there will also be the Teddy Bear Toss in partnership with the Estevan Bruins on Nov. 23.
"We didn't have that last year, so it's exciting to have it back. It really helps us. All the teddy bears that we get during the Teddy Bear Toss, we take them to the nursing homes and hand them out to seniors every year. It's always nice to be able to do something for the people in some of these nursing homes in the surrounding areas. We do the ones in Estevan plus some of the outlying areas," Reynard said.
The holiday train was put on hold again this year, but outside of that, all the fundraising efforts for the Salvation Army will look as they were pre-pandemic.
"We will be out there, people will see us everywhere again. It's getting back to a little bit of normal," Reynard said. "People look forward to seeing the kettles and hearing the bells."
She added that they don't ring the bells as much, so it would be comfortable for people working at the locations, but they will still bring in the Christmas spirit.
"People still look forward to seeing the Christmas kettles out. It's just a tradition. It's part of the Christmas season. We're always excited for Christmas," Reynard said.
The kettles will be out from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays. To book a slot to volunteer with the kettle campaign, call the office at 306-634-2074.
