Bill Glasgow never thought he would be needing help from the Salvation Army to make Christmas a festive occasion for his family.
But it happened nine years ago when he lost his job and had no money to buy presents for his two kids. Glasgow asked for help and the Sally Ann made sure those two young ones had a reason to jump for joy when they saw what was waiting for them under the tree.
“The Salvation Army saved my Christmas,” said Glasgow, now employed as the charitable gift advisor of the Prince George Salvation Army. “I was recently out of work and I had two kids to feed and I didn’t have a cent in my pocket. I came to the Salvation Army and they helped me out and made Christmas happen and they do that for hundreds of families in Prince George.”
Glasgow never felt the need to prove he was destitute to receive help he needed that year and for that he remains grateful.
“That’s one of the reasons I work here now,” Glasgow said. “The Salvation Army didn’t look at what kind of car I drove or how much I made or didn’t make, they just helped me without prejudice and without judgement. Bad times can come upon anybody and the Salvation Army is here to help no matter what.”
The need for the Salvation Army Food Bank services is not just at Christmas, it’s year-round and we encourage our donors to support us because we can’t do the work without the community.”
While the need is highlighted this time of year, it never goes away for some of the people on the Salvation Army’s list.
With job losses and reduced work hours common this year among the local workforce, the Salvation Army has received 180 more requests than it did last year for help from people in need over the Christmas season. Last week, Prince George Salvation Army captain Neil Wilkinson got a call from a single mom with two kids who has never before accessed any support from government programs or charitable organizations until now.
“She phoned in tears and said, “I don’t know what to do,” said Wilkinson. “She’s been laid off work, her workplace shut down for COVID. She’s receiving EI support but it’s not enough to provide her kids Christmas.
“She was just weeping and when we got her calmed down we said ‘we’re going to make sure your kids will have Christmas,’” he said. “What really happened more than anything was she regained a sense of hope, after feeling absolutely hopeless.
“Yes, we give Christmas to kids and food, but the Salvation Army stands behind that promise that together we can rediscover what bringing hope means. My heart just jumps because last week she found her hope. What I’m realizing is that it’s not just people in need regaining hope, donors need to need to be able to have an outlet and way to bring hope to the community as well.”
Cam Thun dropped by the Salvation Army’s Food Bank on 18th Avenue Monday morning to present captain Wilkinson with a $1,000 donation. Thun, who owns the First Litre Pub and several other liquor establishments in the city, also visited the Child Development Association, Prince George Animal Rescue Society, SPCA and the Rotary Hospice House to present them with cheques.
Thun and his family have given the Salvation Army close to $100,000 over the past decade. He and his wife Tammi and known for dressing up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus during the Christmas season and they go to stores to hand out $100 bills to families they feel deserve a little bonus. But with the pandemic still a threat, they won’t be doing that this year and have instead found a family to sponsor.
“We want to make the world a better place and to help out during challenging times,” said Thun. “Our family has done that forever. We are proud sponsors of Prince George, we make a great living and I firmly believe in giving back to the community.”
Services like the Salvation Army Food Bank rely on the generosity of people like the Thuns to provide cash to cover the bills of operating the Curt Garland Community Support Centre where the food bank Is housed and pay for food hampers. The Centre will be open right up to Christmas Day.
“This is the facility where the good will of the community comes through but it’s through these partnerships that we’re able to actually make a difference in the community,” said Wilkinson.
“We’re currently serving about a thousand households every month, it’s about 3,500 mouths that we’re feeding. A partnership like this means we can keep the building open and we can keep services flowing we can keep bring the good will of the community into the homes of the people who need it most.”
This year, because gatherings are being discouraged, the Prince George chapter of the Salvation Army has launched a Christmas Challenge program on its website www.sapg.ca. Donors can register their cash gifts at #ChristmasChallengePledge and challenge family members, friends, co-workers and business associates.
The Christmas kettle campaign, which is the Salvation Army’s biggest annual fundraiser, is happening but at just six locations rather than the usual 12. The volunteer force to staff the kettles is down to about 100, from the usual 400.
