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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, D ecem ber 2 2 , 2 0 1 6 | 10 Salvation Army turns up heat on its Kettle campaign by Nathan Howes Oakville Beaver Staff With days left before Christmas, the Salvation Army of Oakville hopes the holiday spirit will bubble up to help it fulfill its Kettle campaign. The organization set a fundraising target of $115,000 when it began its annual drive Nov. 19, but has received $64,716 as of Dec. 19 -- 56 per cent of its goal. The campaign wraps up Christmas Eve (Saturday, Dec. 24). Donations help fund the Salvation Army' s community and family services, and its food bank for the year, and also Christmas programs. "With the week leading up to Christmas, the generosity of Oakville seems to be ignited. Every little bit counts. If everyone in Oakville gave a dollar, it would go a long way to help us reach our goal," said Shannon Robinson, Salvation Army Oakville' s community and family services co-ordinator. For this week, Robinson noted 87 of the available volunteer shifts have been filled, while there are 151 still available (about 36 per cent). "We definitely need more volunteers to sign up," said Robinson. "If there aren' t people at the ketdes, then how are members of the community supposed to donate? That plays a huge role and does have a huge impact in whether or not we will be able to reach our goal." Since it launched, volunteers have stationed themselves at 10 locations across Oakville, which include: · Fortinos, 173 Fakeshore Rd. W; · Oakville Place (both upper and lower levels), 240 Feighland Ave.; · South Oakville Centre, 1515 Rebecca St.; · Walmart, 234 Hays Blvd.; · Real Canadian Superstore, 201 Oak Park Blvd.; · Canadian Tire, 400 Dundas St. E.; · FCBO -- Downtown, 276 Fakeshore Rd. E.; South Oakville Centre, 1527 Rebecca St.; Cornwall, 321 Cornwall Rd.; and, Oak Park, 251 Oak Walk Dr. Fast year, the local church assisted 394 families and close to 500 children, Robinson noted, despite experiencing a shortfall of about $8,000. Donations, by mail or in person, are welcome at The Salvation Army of Oakville, 1225 Rebecca St., Oakville, ON, F5F 1Z1, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations by credit card can be made by phone at 905-827-5324, ext. 24. Families in need are encouraged to drop by the Salvation Army' s Rebecca Street office to apply for Christmas assistance. Those who are interested in volunteering can contact kettle co-ordinator Drew Arnold at 647 534-0611 or tsaoakvillekettles@cogeco.net. While the Salvation Army' s kettle campaign is its signature fundraiser at Christmas, it also has a Toy Depot where parents can `shop' freeof-charge for their children up to 17 years old. It' s being stocked by residents' donations and campaigns, such as Toy Mountain, which is in partnership with CTV and Toronto-area Ford dealers like Kennedy Ford and Oak-land Ford Fincoln. -w ith files from Julia Le HOT TUB FLOOR MODEL CLP SAVE UP TO 'NQ E . A * # $6229 A L L T U B S A R E A V A IL A B L E FO R IM M E D IA T E D E L IV E R Y . LIMITED STOCK AVAILABLE. ^ ^ ^ O a k W \P P L E B Y SYSTEM S % FIREPLACE, HEATING & A IR CONDITIONING CONTRACTORS OAKVILLE905.825.1893 BURLINGTON905.335.3203 2086 S P E E R S RD., OAKViLLE Homehottu Leisure b sp a tio· b illia rd sp o o ls lje V IS IT US AT Com e S ee Our SHOW ROOM 1318 SPEERS RD, OAKVILLE, ON 905-847-8551 | www.oakvillehomeleisure.ca Mon - Fri. 8am - 5pm; Saturday 11am - 4pm www.applebysystems.ca