The numbers are in for the 2011 Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign. There were over 2000 red kettles spread throughout the country and the goal of collecting 19 million dollars was surpassed…with more than 20 million donated.
We wanted to know how things went on the local scene, so we checked with Linda Goodall at the Salvation Army here in Orillia. They were a bit behind their usual totals just a few days before Christmas. And they were also a little short on volunteers to man the kettles.
In the end, Goodall says that there was an incredible outpouring from the community and they surpassed their goal of $85,000 this year and to date have taken in over $93,000 dollars. Goodall says they couldn’t have done it without the fantastic community support and they are very thankful for the response.
Goodall says they had a total of 11 kettles at different locations and there were a few days when some were not manned, but she says that they were able to man the kettles during critical hours and with the results of the campaign, it all turned out very well.
As far as where the money collected goes, Goodall says that all the money collected in Orillia stays in Orilla and is used for the Salvation Army Family Services Programs. Those programs include the food bank, the ABC school lunch program, where they work with 11 schools in the community, as well as programming for clients.
Goodall says they are very thrilled with the 2011 campaign and can’t thank the community enough. And they will now look forward to next year.
