Salvation Army bell ringers are out across Sudbury, collecting donations at malls and shops as usual, with their iconic kettle front and centre, but those kettles are not very full this year.
The Salvation Army is facing a $9-million shortfall in its annual campaign this season, and the organization attributes the pinch to a number of things, including a lack of volunteers.
"We've had situations where we haven't had people to man kettles, so they haven't been out as often as we would've liked. So that, of course, is resulting in some of the decline that we're experiencing right now." says Major Bruce Shirran of the Sudbury Salvation Army.
The charity's Christmas season, traditionally a reliable source of funding, is facing hard times. In Sudbury, the campaign is still $80,000 short of its $205,000 target with only days left to go.
"It's a really good charity as far as I'm concerned. They do a lot of great things, that's for sure." says volunteer, Doug MacKay.
Some suggest donations are down because fewer people carry cash these days, and the organization’s Christian values and views on LGBTQ issues are often criticized, but Shirran doesn't think that’s affecting the campaign.
"Our main mission is to support the needs of our community, to take care of humanitarian needs. Of course, we don't enforce religious concepts, or theology, or doctrine to assist people with that. We assist all people regardless of race, colour, creed, nationality. They're all people that need support." says Shirran.
For most charities, the holidays are the busiest time for fundraising, and the Salvation Army isn't the only one struggling this year. While Shirran says it's likely their campaign will miss its target, the charity will make up the difference elsewhere and will not cut services.
