The Salvation Army is gearing up for its annual Christmas program of kettles, hampers, toys for children and a community dinner.
Lieutenant Jessica Hoeft said the kettle campaign will start on Monday, Nov. 28 and run until Christmas Eve.
Anyone interested in standing with a kettle at one of seven locations around the city can check the new online scheduling website at williamslakekettles.setmore.com.
Hours for the kettles will be noon to 6 p.m. with a few sites from 6 to 8 p.m.
“The past two years because of the pandemic, the kettle campaign really struggled, ” Hoeft said.
Hamper registration will take place Monday, Nov. 14 to Nov. 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Salvation Army dining hall.
Anyone wanting to register will need to show a proof of residency, number of people in a household and whether there are children in the home to register for the toy hampers.
“Anyone wanting to adopt a family can contact the coordinator Tamara Robinson who will also be connecting with previous sponsors,” Hoeft said, noting Robinson can be emailed at tamara.robinson@salvationarmy.ca.
Angel Trees will go up at The Realm of Toys, Wal-Mart and Winners on Nov. 28. Each angel will note the gender, age and wish list.
Donations of gifts can also be dropped off at family services prior to Dec. 15.
The annual Christmas dinner is back and will take place on Thursday, Dec. 22 at noon. The event is always an opportunity for the community to get together.
Hoeft arrived in Williams Lake with her husband Nathanael and their three children William, Luke and Isabelle, just before Stampede to replace Tatiana and Sergii Kachanov, who relocated to Parksville.
READ MORE: New Williams Lake Salvation Army lieutenants settling in
She said there has been an increased demand for food because of the costs going up and one thing needed presently is cans of diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, pasta sauce, hamburger helper, crackers and cereal.
The Salvation Army is presently serving 300 households monthly through its food bank.
When interviewed in the summer they said they were in need of staff. Some of those positions have been filled, but they are still looking for a driver.
The job involves 30 hours a week and all the driving is in town.
The food truck that was going around on Saturday nights in the winter to feed people will not be up and running this year.
“We had a mission board meeting last week and we decided we don’t have the people to run it, but hopefully will in the future,” Hoeft said.
monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com
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