The Salvation Army is counting on Prince George's reputation as a last-minute town to reach the fundraising goals it's set for its Christmas campaigns.
As of Wednesday, the kettle campaign has raised $161,725.44. To reach its goal of $250,000, the campaign needs to attract $11,035 per day for the remaining eight days.
Every little bit helps, Salvation Army business manager Bill Glasgow stressed.
"When people come and put a toonie or a loonie in the kettle and say 'oh sorry, that's all I have,' we tell them that's all we need," Glasgow said. "Every dollar counts."
He had the same comment for other types of donations, like food and toys.
"Everything that we get is so gratefully accepted and used to help the community," Glasgow said.
On that note, between 50 and 60 toys were brought when Imperial Parking hosted a "toys for tickets" event earlier this month.
The Tree of Lights campaign is struggling. At $14,660.90, it's not even halfway to its goal of $50,000. To meet that mark, it will have to raise $4,417 per day from now until Christmas which Glasgow doubts will happen.
On the bright side, a Tree of Lights event at the outdoor ice oval on Saturday drew more than 50 people after volunteers worked overnight to get the ice in shape.
Next up is a movie day at the Salvation Army Church, 777 Ospika Blvd., this Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
But after 29 years, Glasgow suggested Tree of Lights may have run its course.
"We'll be talking about that in the new year, whether we keep it going or combine the two and just have one fundraiser," he said.
Volunteers to man the kettles are needed, particularly people who can show up on a half-hour notice to fill in for others who discover they unexpectedly can't make it out to their shifts. Coverage stands at about 80-85 per cent which Glasgow said is great, but there is still room for more.
The commitment is for an hour or two at a time. For more information, call the Salvation Army at 250-564-4000.
